SPAIN'S  LOST  JEWELS 

CUBA  AND  MEXICO 


THOMAS  REES 


Spain's  Lost  Jewels. 


MRS.   REES. 


MR.    REES. 


Spain's  Lost  Jewels 

Cuba  and  Mexico 


BY  THOMAS  REES 


WITH    ILLUSTRATIONS 


Published    by 

ILLINOIS  STATE  REGISTER 
Springfield,  Illinois. 


DEDICATION. 

To  the  many  American   Travelers 
who  are  found  in  all  parts 

of  the  world, 

And  by  their  liberality  and  example 
make  the  balance  of  mankind 

richer  and  better, 

This  volume  is  respectfully 

inscribed. 


Copyright 

1906 
By  Thomas   Rees. 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


Mr.  and  Mrs.   Rees 1 

Morro  Castle    17 

Wreck  of  the    Maine 33 

Mexican  Ox  Cart 145 

Cathedral  of  Mexico 241 

Sunday   near   Market 257 

La  Paloma 300 

Third  Class  Funeral 305 

Mexican   Peon    .                                        337 


2206854 


THE   PROVOCATION 


No  one  can  travel  very  far  in  Cuba  and  Mexico  and  ob- 
serve their  wonders  and  marvelous  beauties  without  a  desire 
to  write  home  and  tell  his  friends  all  about  what  he  has  seen 
and  what  he  has  learned  on  the  way.  They  are  in  many  re- 
spects the  most  interesting  countries  on  the  face  of  the 
globe. 

These  letters  that  furnish  the  text  of  this  volume  were 
originally  published  in  the  Illinois  State  Register,  of  which 
the  writer  is  manager.  This  gave  an  opportunity  of  ad- 
dressing a  larger  number  of  friends  and  acquaintances  than 
is  usually  accorded  to  the  average  individual. 

There  were  so  many  things  to  write  about  that  the  let- 
ters extended  to  a  considerably  greater  length  than  was  at 
first  contemplated,  and  yet  much  more  might  be  written  and 
perhaps  be  equally  interesting. 

During  the  publication  of  this  series  they  were  so  gen- 
erally read  and  so  many  persons  expressed  a  desire  to  have 
them  in  a  more  convenient  and  permanent  form,  it  was 
determined  to  issue  them  in  this  shape. 

For  this  purpose  the  letters  have  been  carefully  edited, 
errors  corrected  and  some  additions  made,  and  are  here  pre- 
sented with  the  hope  that  they  will  meet  with  as  hearty  a 
welcome  at  this  time  as  they  did  on  the  occasion  of  their 
first  publication. 


SOME    THINGS   MENTIONED 


THE   FIRST   LETTER. 

Page  17. 

Entrance  to  Havana — Wreck  of  the  Maine — City  of  Havana 
— Streets  and  Buildings — The  Hotels — Vehicles  and 
Traffic — A  Visit  to  Morro  Castle. 


THE  SECOND  LETTER. 

Page  37. 

American  Occupation — The  Old  Cathedral — Weather  and 
Clothes — Labor  Conditions — Streets,  Stores,  etc. — Colon 
Cemetery — An  Echo  from  Home — Money  and  Business- 
History — Governor  Tacon — Yellow  Fever. 


THE  THIRD  LETTER. 

Page  60. 

Mrs.  Rees'  Letter — Around  Matanzas — Yumuri  Valley — 
Bellamar  Caves — Cumbre  Hill — The  Royal  Palm — The 
Government  Building — The  Odd  and  Curious. 


THE  FOURTH  LETTER. 

Page  75. 

What  We  Did  Not  See— Battle  of  Santiago  Harbor— Proctor 
Knott's  Story — The  Late  War — Roosevelt's  Mad  Charge 
— Matters  of  Interest — Our  Departure  from  Cuba. 


THE   FIFTH    LETTER. 

Page  90. 

Across    the    Gulf — Yucatan — Merida,    the    City    Beautiful — 
Hennequin  Plants — Reception  to  President  Diaz. 

13 


THE  SIXTH   LETTER. 

Page  104. 

Vera  Cruz — A  Dismal  City — Orizaba — "Number  Thirteen" 
Club — Flowers  and  Snow — Mexican  Railway — City  of 
Puebla — Pyramid  of  Cholula. 


THE  SEVENTH   LETTER. 

Page  121. 

Telling  the  Truth — In  a  Sanitarium — Tehuacan  Water — 
Street  Car  Service — Canons  and  Cacti — Inspiring 
Scenery. 

THE   EIGHTH    LETTER. 

Page  135. 

The  Road  to  Mitla — An  Active  Panorama — The  Great  Pro- 
cession— A  Hacienda — The  Ruins  of  Mitla — Queer  Old 
World. 

THE  NINTH   LETTER. 

Page  151. 

Everything  is  Carried — "Get  Up  and  Get" — Heading  Off  a 
Railway  Train — Wooden  Plows — An  Earthquake — Big 
Tree  of  Tule — Oaxaca — Mexican  Brewery. 


THE  TENTH    LETTER. 

Page  170. 

The  Southern  Cross — Tlaxcala — The  Oldest  Church — Arrival 
in  Mexico  City — In  an  Emperor's  Palace — Execution  of 
Iturbide. 

THE  ELEVENTH    LETTER. 

Page  189. 

Mexico  •  City  to  Cuernavaca — A  Remarkable  Railway — 
Cortez'  Strategy — Santa  Anna  and  His  Leg — Borda 
Garden — Storm  and  Sunset. 


THE   TWELFTH    LETTER. 

Page  207. 

\n  Mexico  City — Its  Location — Floods  and  Inundations — 
Great  Canals — The  National  Palace — National  Museum 
— Sacrificial  Stone — Maximilian's  Carriage. 

14 


THE  THIRTEENTH  LETTER. 

Page  223. 

Gaudelupe  Cathedral — The  Legend  on  which  it  was  Founded 
— The  Stone  Sails — Colossal  Statue — Paseo  La  Reforma 
— American  Invasion — The  Compact  of  Death — Bivouac 
of  the  Dead. 

THE   FOURTEENTH    LETTER. 

Page  242. 

The  Sunday  Drive — The  Great  Cathedral  of  Mexico— Its 
Wonders  and  Beauties — A  Map  of  the  City — Markets  of 
Mexico — Thieves'  Market — National  Pawnshop. 


THE    FIFTEENTH    LETTER. 

Page  261. 

Our  Ambassador — Discovered  Bob  Burdette — An  Automobile 
Ride — Hacks  and  Street  Cars — La  Viga  Canal — A  Feast 
Day — The  Floating  Gardens. 


THE   SIXTEENTH    LETTER. 

Page  279. 

Bull  Fighting — Antiquity  of  the  Custom — The  Matador — 
The  Picador — The  Banderillas — Bulls  and  Horses 
Slaughtered — Brutal  Spectacle. 


THE  SEVENTEENTH   LETTER. 

Page  296. 

Flowers  in  Mexico — Great  Floral  Pieces — Music — La  Paloma 
— A  Translation — Marching  Through  Georgia — Stores 
and  Dress. 

THE   EIGHTEENTH   LETTER. 

Page  306. 

Revelling  in  Death — Human  Sacrifices — The  War  of  Con- 
quest— Famine — Inquisition — Small-Pox  and  Contagion 
— Funerals  on  Street  Cars — Dolores  Cemetery. 


THE    NINETEENTH    LETTER. 

Page  318. 

Scraps — Silver    Mines — Beggars    and     Peddlers — Taxes    and 
Concessions — Opera    Garments — Salvation    Army. 

15 


THE  TWENTIETH   LETTER. 

Page  329. 

Country,  Climate  and   Population — Constitution   and   Laws 
Police  and   Military — Rural   Guards. 


THE   TWENTY-FIRST    LETTER. 

Page  343. 

Some  History — Montezuma — Splendors  of  His  Reign — Gaute- 
motzin — The  Last  and  Greatest  of  the  Aztec  Rulers. 

THE    TWENTY-SECOND    LETTER. 

Page  353. 

Mr.  Cortez — A  Remarkable  Character — His  Brilliant  Con- 
quest— His  Cruelties,  Victories  and  Defeats — His  Final 
Triumph  and  Glory — Established  the  Church. 


THE   TWENTY-THIRD   LETTER. 

Page  370. 

Much  Turmoil — Miguel  Hidalgo — Declaration  and  War  of 
Independence  —  Morelos  —  Juarez — Napoleon's  Dream — 
Maximilian's  Reign — Seward's  Ultimatum. 


THE   TWENTY-FOURTH    LETTER. 

Page  383. 

President  Diaz — His  Stormy  Life — His  Administration — 
The  Liberty  Bell — Trouble  Ahead — Involuntary  Servi- 
tude—A Last  Word. 


16 


MORRO    CASTLE. 

'There  it  stands  in  all  its  grim  magnificent  glory." — Page  17. 


The  First  Letter. 


ENTRANCE  TO    HAVANA. 

It  takes  forty  hours  to  make  the  trip  from  New 
Orleans  to  Havana.  You  leave  New  Orleans  at  four 
in  the  afternoon,  and  this  brings  you  to  Havana  at 
a  little  after  sunrise  on  the  second  morning  follow- 
ing. 

As  the  ship  nears  Havana  everybody  comes  on 
deck  to  get  the  first  glimpse  of  Mono  Castle.  The 
two  objects  that  every  American  wants  to  see  most 
are  Morro  Castle  and  the  wreck  of  the  Maine.  But 
as  the  latter  is  far  up  the  bay  the  castle  is  the  first 
to  be  seen. 

There  it  stands  in  all  its  grim,  magnificent 
glory.  High  perched  on  almost  a  mountain  of  grey- 
black  rugged  stone. 

The  waters  of  the  gulf,  ever  restless,  lash  them- 
selves into  a  seething  foam  far  below  its  solid  base. 
Its  open-mouthed  cannons  seem  ever  ready  to  belch 
forth  a  holocaust  of  death,  and  with  its  strength  of 

17 

—2 


CUBA    THE    BEAUTIFUL 

Gibraltar  and  the  dignity  of  a  walled  city,  it  pre- 
sents a  wonderfully  impressive  picture. 

As  you  view  it  with  intense  interest,  it  seems 
to  signify  the  very  acme  of  strength  and  destruc- 
tion. The  waters  dash  again  and  again  below  its 
walls  and  tear  themselves  to  pieces,  and  fall  upon 
themselves  in  their  fury;  but  the  old  fort  stands  un- 
disturbed high  above,  and  seems  to  frown  with  dis- 
dain at  the  great  ocean  tugging  at  its  base.  No 
tremor  of  the  waves  ever  reaches  its  dim  recesses. 
No  power,  it  would  seem,  could  disturb  it.  No  foe 
could  ever  overcome  it.  It  guards  the  great  harbor 
which,  at  the  entrance,  is  only  a  few  hundred  yards 
in  width. 

On  the  other  side  of  the  entrance  to  the  harbor 
is  another  fort,  but  it  is  not  so  formidable  as  Mono, 
and  is  set  further  back. 

In  the  foreground,  opposite  Morro,  is  a  beau- 
tiful park  called  "La  Punta."  Even  in  winter  it 
is  all  green  and  glorious.  Lovely  tropical  plants 
are  surrounded  with  the  greenest  of  grass ;  beautiful 
drives  bordered  with  white  walks  circle  about.  A 
music  pavilion  of  tasty  appearance  and  with  many 
chairs  surrounding  it,  presents  a  scene  of  restful- 
ness  in  wonderful  contrast  to  the  grim  old  Morro 
Castle.  Behind  thi?  park,  further  than  the  eye  can 

18 


ENTRANCE    TO    HAVANA 

reach,  are  thousands  of  fascinating  houses  with 
arches  and  colonnades ;  they  are  all  plastered  on  the 
outside  and  painted  in  all  the  colors  known  to  the 
art  of  fresco. 

With  these  pictures — the  castle  on  the  one  hand, 
the  park  on  the  other,  and  the  harbor  with  its  ships, 
beyond ;  the  city,  with  its  houses  in  so  many  shades 
and  colors,  the  entrance  to  Havana  harbor  presents 
a  view  equal  to  any  stage  setting  you  may  have  ever 
seen,  but  a  thousand  times  larger  and  so  much 
more  beautiful. 

The  contrast,  as  you  look  from  one  side  to  the 
other,  is  enough  to  start  a  chain  of  thought  that 
would  have  a  beginning  away  back  in  the  past  ages 
and  reach  far  over  into  the  rosy  future. 

On  the  one  hand  the  old  castle,  the  concentra- 
tion of  antiquity,  war  and  bloodshed;  on  the  other 
the  park,  with  its  trees  of  laurel  and  its  invitation 
to  harmony  and  peace.  The  melancholy  history  of 
war,  carnage  and  destruction  written  in  the  one; 
the  golden  bow  of  promise  of  the  future  illumining 
the  other.  Such  thoughts  must  awaken  deep  emo- 
tions in  anyone  who  has  any  interest  in  historical 
events.  The  impressiveness  of  the  surroundings, 
the  beauty  of  the  pictures  are  such  that  I  am  cer- 
tain no  one  who  has  a  heart  that  can  be  touched  by 

19 


CUBA    THE    BEAUTIFUL 

emotion  or  an  appreciation  of  the  beautiful  can  sail 
into  Havana  harbor  on  a  bright  sunny  morning  and 
then  ever  forget  the  picture  that  lies  before  him. 
And  before  one  knows  it  he  has  fallen  in  love  with 
the  great  capital  of  this  young  republic,  and  is 
thanking  God  that  he  has  lived  to  see  what  he  now 
sees.  A  city  beautiful,  a  country  magnificent — an- 
other nation  to  join  the  galaxy  of  those  who  believe 
in  the  liberty  of  mankind,  a  government  of  the 
people,  for  the  people  and  by  the  people. 

THE    WRECK   OF   THE   MAINE. 

The  steamer  passes  through  the  narrows  and 
enters  one  of  the  finest  harbors  that  could  be  desired, 
and  soon  comes  up  to  where  all  the  great  ships,  and 
there  are  many  of  them,  lie  at  anchor.  The  wreck 
of  the  Maine,  just  as  it  is  seen  in  the  pictures,  comes 
into  view. 

It  is  now  several  years  since  the  Maine  was 
wrecked,  and  it  lies  just  as  it  did  at  that  time,  ex- 
cept that  each  year  it  sinks  a  little  further  into  the 
bottom  of  the  harbor. 

The  government  at  Washington  has  not  decided 
as  yet  what  to  do  with  the  Maine.  In  1904  the 
Cuban  government  entered  into  a  contract  with  a 
New  Orleans  firm  to  further  wreck  and  remove  the 

20 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE  MAINE 

mass  of  steel  and  machinery,  but  this  was  aban- 
doned, as  our  navy  department  held  that  that  de- 
partment could  not  abandon  the  ship,  as  the  power 
to  relinquish  the  rights  of  our  government  in  any 
property  or  any  man-of-war  were  vested  only  in 
Congress;  and  as  Congress  has  done  nothing,  the 
wreck  still  remains. 

February  15th  is  the  anniversary  of  the  disaster, 
and  the  Americans  in  Havana  and  some  of  the 
Cubans  take  flowers  and  lay  them  upon  the  rusted 
iron  and  broken  bars  of  the  old  cruiser,  which 
remains  as  a  monument  that  marks  the  passing  away 
of  two  hundred  and  sixty-seven  of  our  brave  seamen 
— a  costly  monument  withal,  for  it  had  a  value  of 
five  million  dollars  as  it  steamed  into  Havana  harbor 
a  trifle  over  eight  years  ago.  But  it  is  a  great  monu- 
ment; for,  besides  being  a  memorial  to  our  seamen 
who  perished,  it  is  a  memorial  that  calls  attention 
to  the  tragic  act  of  the  Spaniards  which  marked  the 
death-knell  of  their  rule  of  any  part  of  the  land  of 
the  western  hemisphere,  and  gave  birth  to  the  Re- 
public of  Cuba.  Long  live  Cuba,  the  Republic. 

The  harbor  of  Havana  is  an  ideal  place  for 
boats  to  rest.  As  before  stated,  the  entrance  is  only 
a  few  hundred  yards  wide,  leading  into  a  long  chan- 
nel of  about  the  same  width,  which,  beyond  the  bay, 

tl 


CUBA   THE    BEAUTIFUL 

is  nearly  the  shape  of  a  maple  leaf,  one  and  a  half 
miles  wide,  the  entrance  representing  the  stem. 

There  is  room  enough  to  accommodate  nearly 
all  the  ships  in  the  world,  and  it  seems  to  the  observer 
that  they  are  almost  all  here  the  greater  part  of  the 
time.  There  are  about  four  thousand  arrivals  each 
year.  Only  a  few  ships  land  at  the  docks,  as  it 
seems  that  the  Cubans  allow  only  Cuban  boats  that 
privilege;  so  all  other  boats  have  to  be  loaded  and 
unloaded  by  tenders  or  small  boats,  ordinarily  called 
lighters. 

It  seems  that  a  ring  of  some  kind  controls  the 
lighterage  business  and  that  the  rates  are  fixed  at 
what  the  traffic  will  bear,  as  it  costs  as  much  or  more 
to  take  the  freight  from  a  boat  to  the  landing,  about 
five  hundred  feet,  as  it  does  to  bring  it  from  England 
or  Spain. 

Notwithstanding  the  foregoing  rambling  re- 
marks, the  reader  will  perhaps  remember  that  we  are 
still  on  the  ship  floating  about  or  coming  to  anchor  in 
the  harbor,  and  while  it  may  seem  to  the  reader  that 
we  are  a  long  time  in  landing,  he  may  have  some 
satisfaction  in  knowing  that  it  takes  longer  in  fact 
than  it  takes  a  long-winded  man  to  tell  about  it; 
for  it  is  a  wonderfully  slow  process. 

When  the  boat  comes  to  a  stop,  various  officers 
22 


THE    DOCTOR 

in  authority  must  visit  it  and  inspect  it.  Then  the 
quarantine  officers  must  come  aboard,  and  all  the 
passengers  must  line  up  and  pass  by  the  doctor,  who 
has  the  final  say  whether  we  shall  land  or  not. 

Did  you  ever  realize,  anyhow,  what  a  great  man 
the  doctor  is?  Lots  of  people  insist  that  doctors  do 
not  know  anything  except  to  bleed  a  fellow  physic- 
ally and  financially;  lots  of  people  intimate  that  they 
do  not  even  take  their  own  medicine ;  but  if  you  stop 
to  consider  you  must  confess  they  are  a  great  set, 
and  I  take  off  my  hat  to  them. 

When  we  make  up  our  minds  to  come  into  this 
world,  before  we  know  it  we  are  in  the  hands  of  the 
doctor.  If  we  fall  among  thieves,  like  the  gentleman 
who  was  going  to  Jericho,  we  again  fall  into  the 
hands  of  the  doctor,  who  sets  our  bones  and  takes 
what  the  other  fellow  left.  And,  finally,  when  we 
come  to  take  our  departure  for  that  unknown  bourne, 
they  give  us  opiates  to  ease  and  hasten  our  journey; 
and  after  we  have  got  beyond  reclaim  they  chop  us 
up  to  see  if  they  knew  just  exactly  what  was  the  mat- 
ter with  us  before  our  lamented  demise.  They  direct 
the  actions  of  kings  and  princes,  overrule  the  orders 
of  captains  and  generals,  and  it  was  a  doctor  who 
finally  compelled  the  late  infallible  Pope  of  Rome  to 
change  his  mind  and  undergo  a  surgical  operation 
when  he  said  he  didn't  need  it. 

23 


CUBA    THE    BEAUTIFUL 

So  we  are  again  in  the  hands  of  the  doctor,  whose 
consent  we  must  have  before  we  can  land  in  Cuba. 
He  gives  it;  having  passed  us,  we  are  ready  to  land, 
and  likewise  are  ready  to  sing  "Praise  God  from 
whom  all  blessings  flow." 

The  tender  comes  alongside,  carrying  at  least  a 
hundred  hotel  representatives,  who  clamor  to  get  at 
us  like  hungry  cannibals  after  fresh  missionaries. 
Friends  who  are  here  before  come  out  in  little  row 
boats  to  greet  friends  who  are  arriving. 

Tons  of  baggage  are  heaved  onto  the  lighter  or 
tender,  and  we  finally  start  and  are  soon  landed  on 
the  real  ground  of  Cuba;  and  we  are  so  glad  to  get 
off  the  boat  that  we  can  more  than  appreciate  the 
feelings  of  Columbus  and  his  followers  who,  when 
they  arrived  near  here,  fell  upon  their  faces  and 
kissed  the  ground  on  which  they  had  landed. 

THE  CITY  OF  HAVANA. 

I  doubt  my  ability  to  describe  to  those  who 
have  never  been  in  a  Spanish  city  the  peculiari- 
ties of  this  place  in  language  that  will  give  them  a 
proper  idea  of  how  it  looks. 

The  streets  are  very  irregular  and  very  narrow, 
and  as  there  must  be  room  for  two  vehicles  to  pass, 
the  sidewalks  are  sacrificed  in  width  so  that  the  pass- 

M 


CITY   OP   HAVANA 

age  of  the  vehicles  can  be  accomplished.  The  aver- 
age street  has  a  total  width,  between  the  buildings, 
of  perhaps  twenty  feet;  taking  out  the  driveway  of 
about  fourteen  feet,  leaves  the  sidewalk  some  twenty- 
four  to  thirty-six  inches  wide.  In  some  instances 
they  are  a  little  wider,  while  in  other  cases  they  are 
cut  down  sometimes  to  twelve  inches.  This  walk  is 
further  encroached  upon  by  iron  railings  covering 
all  windows,  which  stand  out  ordinarily  about  eight 
inches  from  the  building. 

The  street  railways,  of  which  there  is  a  most 
excellent  system,  run  entirely  in  loops — that  is,  going 
down  one  street  and  returning  on  another.  In  order 
to  leave  a  passage  for  vehicles  the  track  hugs  so  close 
to  the  walk  on  one  side  that  it  leaves  room  only  for 
one  person  to  stand  between  the  car  and  the  build- 
ings, and  even  then  the  carts  sometimes  have  to  drive 
out  to  the  cross  street  before  the  cars  can  pass. 

The  vehicles  are  also  compelled  to  go  in  circles  or 
loops,  driving  east  on  one  street  and  west  on  the 
other,  as  even  the  passing  of  two  vehicles  is  a  diffi- 
cult task.  I  am  speaking  now  of  the  old  business  part 
of  the  city,  and  on  such  streets  as  I  have  described 
an  immense  volume  of  business,  both  wholesale  and 
retail,  is  carried  on. 

Through  the  center  of  the  city  is  a  magnificent 

25 


CUBA    THE    BEAUTIFUL 

park  or  boulevard,  called  the  Prado,  lined  with  laurel 
trees,  which  are  always  green,  and  also  ornamented 
with  statuary  and  pavilions,  and  in  the  new  resi- 
dential part  the  streets  and  avenues  are  laid  out  in 
generous  proportions. 

The  houses  range  in  height  from  one  to  three 
stories,  usually  two  stories;  are  built  of  brick  or 
stone,  and  plastered  on  the  outside  and  painted  or 
frescoed  at  the  will  of  the  artist  who  does  the  work. 
Many  of  them  look  as  though  the  artists  had  done 
the  work  when  they  were  badly  intoxicated  or  had 
left  upon  the  outside  walls  the  recollections  they  had 
from  a  late  attack  of  delirium  tremens,  while  other 
specimens  are  real  works  of  art.  But  taken  on  the 
whole  the  effect  is  superb  and  charming  beyond  ex- 
planation. 

The  houses  look  as  though  they  had  all  been  built 
at  least  a  hundred  years  or  more,  and  had  been  built 
for  defensive  or  offensive  warfare,  as  the  walls  are 
some  two  or  three  feet  in  thickness,  the  openings 
limited,  and  heavy  iron  bars  of  jail  construction  cover 
every  window. 

The  names  of  streets  are  cast  on  iron  plates  and 
set  in  the  corners  of  the  houses  and  embrace  all  names 
one  could  imagine,  among  which  are  "Jesus  Marie," 
"San Pedro,"  "Justis,"  "Virtudes,"  "General Lee," 

26 


CITY   OP   HAVANA 

"Jesus  Peregrine,"  "General  Maceo,"  "O'Reilly," 
etc.  The  numbers  of  the  houses  are  also  cast  on 
small  iron  plates  set  into  the  walls,  and  it  appears 
each  house  has  only  one  number,  whether  it  be  a 
block  in  length  or  of  only  ten  feet  frontage. 

STREETS  AND  SEWERAGE. 

In  order  to  facilitate  pedestrianism  and  make 
more  room  for  sidewalks,  it  frequently  occurs  that 
the  lower  stories  of  the  buildings  are  set  back 
several  feet,  the  front  upper  walls  resting  on  a 
succession  of  columns  connected  by  arches  forming 
colonnades.  This  greatly  facilitates  foot  travel  and 
gives  a  more  picturesque  appearance.  While  such 
construction  is  frequent,  it  is  not  the  rule,  but  it  is 
a  good  idea  and  might  be  copied  in  other  cities,  and 
may  be  necessary  in  American  cities  if  the  inclina- 
tion to  encroach  upon  the  streets  is  not  curtailed. 

.  The  sewerage  of  the  city  is  not  good  and  there 
are  no  cellars,  even  under  the  largest  buildings. 
The  people  here  have  never  learned  to  take  ad- 
vantage of  space  above  and  below  the  ground  line 
to  the  extent  we  have  in  the  cities  of  America.  All 
floors  are  of  cement,  stone,  marble  or  tile,  and  many 
of  the  walls  near  the  bottom  are  covered  with  tile 


27 


CUBA    THE    BEAUTIFUL 

both  inside  and  out,  which  adds  greatly  to  the 
fanciful  appearance  of  the  structures. 

While  I  have  spoken  of  the  residential  portion 
of  the  city  as  apart  from  the  business  section,  it  is 
intended  by  that  to  indicate  that  part  of  the  city 
which  is  composed  entirely  of  residences.  There 
are  more  people  living  apparently  among  the  busi- 
ness houses  than  in  the  residential  part.  This,  how- 
ever, may  be  true  of  any  large  city,  even  in  the 
United  States. 

There  seems  to  be,  however,  a  wonderful  admix- 
ture and  conglomeration  of  inhabitants  and  indus- 
tries in  the  business  portion  here.  Big  wholesale 
stores,  carpenter  shops,  warehouses,  tenements, 
blacksmith  shops  and  residences,  with  elaborate 
furnishings,  with  carriages  in  the  main  entries,  all 
line  up  together  and  in  outward  appearance  all  look 
alike. 

Cigar  stores,  cafes  and  wine  joints  predominate. 
There  are  no  screens  or  doors  to  the  saloons  or 
drinking  places  and  in  each  one  of  these  there  is  a 
big  crowd  of  idlers  who  have  just  had  a  drink  or 
are  sitting  around  waiting  to  take  another.  I  am 
certain  if  the  people  of  this  island  would  devote  the 
attention  to  studying  statecraft  that  they  do  to 


THE    HOTELS 

smoking  cigarettes  and  drinking  wine,  they  would 
revolutionize  not  only  the  island  of  Cuba,  but  the 
entire  population  of  the  earth. 

The  streets  are  well  paved,  some  with  blocks  of 
stone  about  four  by  five  inches,  some  with  cement  or 
fine  stone  that  is  almost  as  smooth  as  cement,  and 
others  with  wooden  blocks  on  end  about  two  by  six 
inches,  and  are  nearly  as  smooth  as  a  wooden  floor. 

THE  HOTELS. 

In  the  matter  of  hotels  the  old  adage  that  "the 
best  is  none  too  good"  applies  with  considerable 
force  here.  The  best  here  is  certainly  as  bad  as  the 
poorest  in  the  states  in  everything  except  the  prices. 

We  stayed  at  what  is  counted  the  leading  hotel 
on  the  island.  The  lowest  rates  are  ten  dollars  per 
day  for  two  persons  in  an  inside  room. 

The  dining  room  or  cafe  occupies  what  would 
ordinarily  be  called  the  office  or  lobby  in  our  country. 
The  main  entrance  seems  to  be  rented  out  to  a  fellow 
who  deals  in  diamonds,  while  the  narrow  passage  left 
is  used  for  a  combination  entrance  for  guests  and 
baggage,  and  is  frequently  so  full  of  trunks  that  it  is 
difficult  to  pass  through,  and  what  space  there  is  left 
is  occupied  by  an  old  woman  who  has  a  suit  case  full 
of  embroidered  chemises  and  laces  that  draws  a 

29 


CUBA    THE    BEAUTIFUL 

crowd  of  women  tourists  to  ask  the  price  of  and  be 
shown  each  and  every  article.  After  you  get  by  the 
lady  you  strike  what  are  called  the  interpreters, 
whose  chief  business  seems  to  be  to  sell  you  tickets 
for  excursions  that  you  don't  want  to  take.  When 
the  elevator  is  in  order,  which  is  not  often,  it  is  used 
in  lifting  baggage,  and  when  it  isn't  in  order  you 
can't  find  out  whether  it  is  or  whether  it  is  not.  The 
shaft  in  which  it  runs  must  ventilate  a  very  foul  base- 
ment, for  it  is  rank. 

The  main  corner  of  what  ought  to  be  the  cafe  is 
occupied  by  a  cigar  store  with  a  bar  room  attached 
that  is  always  full  of  men,  who  are  about  as  noisy  as 
a  lot  of  politicians  at  a  ward  caucus. 

The  tables  are  nicely  supplied  with  elaborate 
china  and  poorly  supplied  with  execrable  food.  It 
takes  an  hour  or  more  to  get  a  meal,  which  is  served 
in  courses  and  which  it  would  be  a  pleasure  to 
escape. 

The  rooms  have  tile  floors,  no  carpets  except 
small  strips  before  each  bed,  six-cent  paper  on  the 
walls,  and  iron  beds  without  mattresses. 

Three  clerks  make  out  bills  and  tell  people  "all 
rooms  are  taken"  and  they  can't  accommodate  any 
more. 

Early  breakfast  is  served — only  rolls,  coffee  and 

30 


VEHICLES    AND    TRAFFIC 

fruit,  6:30  to  9:00  a.  m.;  regular  breakfast,  10:00 
a.  m.  to  1:00  p.  m.;  dinner,  6:00  to  8:00  p.  m.  There 
is  no  pie,  and  among  the  so-called  rules  on  the 
door  it  is  announced  that  regular  guests  may  order 
articles  extra  from  the  cafe  card  that  are  too  ex- 
pensive to  put  on  the  regular  bill.  Now,  wouldn't 
that  jar  you? — at  ten  dollars  a  day. 

On  the  other  hand,  there  are  some  neat  and 
attractive  things  about  the  house,  and  cozy  reading 
rooms  and  parlors.  All  the  hotels  in  the  city  are  com- 
pletely overrun  and  are  turning  away  the  people 
every  day  during  the  rush  season,  and  making  very 
little  effort  to  accommodate. 

VEHICLES  AND  TRAFFIC. 

There  is  one  thing  hard  to  understand — that  is, 
while  the  streets  are  so  narrow,  why  they  should  use 
carts  that  are  so  large.  Most  of  the  street  traffic  is 
carried  on  in  carts,  drawn  by  mules.  While  the 
mules  are  of  fair  size  they  seem  very  small,  as  the 
carts  are  out  of  all  proportion  to  the  size  of  the 
mules. 

The  wheels  are  nearly  six  feet  in  diameter  with 
four-inch  tires,  they  track  over  five  feet,  the  bed  is 
as  large  as  that  of  an  ordinary  two-horse  wagon, 
and  each  shaft  looks  like  a  telegraph  pole.  The  mule 

31 


CUBA    THE    BEAUTIFUL 

is  dressed  in  a  harness  with  a  big  saddle  and  collar. 
The  harness  is  ornamented  with  all  kinds  of  brass. 
Above  the  collar  is  a  big  cluster  of  sleighbells,  while 
the  bridle  has  big  red  tassels  suspended  from  the 
blinders  and  the  throat  latch.  The  harness  and 
trappings  seem  enough  of  a  load  for  the  mule,  not 
counting  the  cart,  and  a  whole  ship's  cargo  of 
freight  which  sometimes  goes  with  it  with  a 
"nigger"  or  two  on  top. 

The  rattle  of  the  wheels  over  the  stone-paved 
streets  and  the  jingling  of  the  bells  indicate  that 
there  is  something  doing  in  Havana. 

The  cab  service,  if  it  may  be  called  that,  is  re- 
markably good.  There  are  no  cabs  nor  hacks,  but 
any  number  of  one-horse  Victorias — a  low  carriage 
with  an  ordinary  cover  over  the  back  seat  and  with 
a  high  seat  for  the  driver  in  front.  They  carry  two 
people  comfortably  and  the  fares  are  reasonable. 
They  will  carry  two  persons  a  distance  of  half  a 
mile  for  twenty  cents  Spanish,  equal  to  about 
fifteen  cents  in  American  money.  By  the  hour  they 
go  for  one  dollar  for  business  or  one  dollar  and  fifty 
cents  for  pleasure — in  Spanish  money.  I  do  not 
know  the  idea  of  this  distinction  unless  they  assume 
that  the  driving  for  pleasure  is  more  continuous 

32 


WRECK     OF    THE     MAINE. 

"The  wreck  of  the   Maine   just  as   it   is  seen   in  the  pictures 
comes  into  view." — Page  20. 


VEHICLES  AND  TRAFFIC 

than  business  trips  where  the  rig  waits  for  purchases 
to  be  made,  or  they  propose  to  demonstrate  that 
business  is  one  thing  and  pleasure  is  another. 

Every  one  of  them  has  a  gong  bell,  and,  as  they 
drive  like  mad  and  kick  the  bell  with  great  vigor  it 
sounds  as  though  the  city  was  turned  over  to  a  race 
of  fire  marshals  or  drivers  of  hoodlum  wagons. 
With  these  bells,  the  cart  bells,  and  the  church  bells, 
one  can  perhaps  imagine  how  Edgar  Allan  Foe  got 
the  idea  of  his  great  poem  that  strings  out  on  the 
subject  of  the  bells,  bells,  bells  and  then  more  bells, 
and  more  bells,  after  that. 

The  only  things  that  go  slow  on  wheels  in  this 
country  are  the  ox  carts,  and  they  go  slow  enough. 
Sometimes  they  are  pulled  by  two  oxen,  sometimes 
by  three,  sometimes  by  six,  eight  or  even  ten ;  but  they 
always  go  slow.  Next  after  the  ox  cart,  or  along 
with  it,  is  the  automobile,  and  as  there  is  no  speed 
limit  on  them  they  go  fast  enough  to  gain  out  on 
time  what  the  ox  cart  loses.  The  great  international 
automobile  races  were  held  here  this  week  and  the 
city  was  full  of  speed  cranks  and  they  "honked" 
through  the  streets  like  imps  of  Satan  in  chariots  of 
fire. 

In  the  races  one  machine  made  217  miles  in  218 

33 


CUBA    THE    BEAUTIFUL 

minutes  and  others  did  nearly  as  well.     The  purse 
was  fifteen  thousand  dollars. 

Wonderful  contrast,  isn't  it?  Ox  cart  and  auto- 
mobile !  One  with  a  speed  limit  of  about  two  miles 
an  hour,  the  other  with  a  limit  of  sixty,  each  seem- 
ingly having  its  place  in  this  old  new  land  of  Cuba. 

A  VISIT  TO  MORRO. 

One  of  the  first  things  every  visitor  does  when 
arriving  in  Havana  is  to  make  a  visit  to  Morro  Castle. 
It  is  a  great  opportunity  and  can  not  and  should  not 
be  neglected. 

We  went  over  the  first  afternoon  to  walk  about 
its  ramparts  and  to  examine  its  dungeons  and 
wander  among  its  battlements. 

There  are  no  soldiers  there  now,  except  a  small 
detachment,  about  one  company  of  Cubans,  who  do 
garrison  duty.  The  barracks  are  empty,  the  dun- 
geons are  deserted,  the  draw  bridges  work  no  more. 
Where  once  was  the  tread  of  many  feet  the  grass 
grows,  and  birds  have  builded  nests  in  the  mouths 
of  cannon. 

Near  where  the  walls  are  chipped  and  broken 
with  bullets  used  in  the  execution  of  thousands  of 
Cuban  patriots,  now  grows  a  tree,  and  on  asking  the 

34 


A  VISIT  TO  MORRO 

guide  what  kind  of  tree  that  is  he  says  it  is  a  laurel, 
the  emblem  of  peace  and  victory. 

Adjoining  Morro  is  Fort  Cabanas  of  the  same 
general  nature  of  architecture — wonderful  architec- 
ture, rambling,  but  symmetrical.  Morro  was  built 
beginning  in  1587,  and  Cabanas  was  built  in  1763  to 
1774.  < 

But  I  would  not  weary  the  reader,  so  I  will  pass 
on  to  other  subjects.  There  is  one  thing  though  I 
must  write  before  leaving  this  interesting  subject, 
and  that  is  to  describe  in  a  few  words  the  entabla- 
ture in  the  walls  of  Cabanas. 

Where  10  many  patriots  were  executed  the 
Cuban  government  has  set  a  tablet  in  the  wall  which 
is  chipped  by  the  bullets  of  the  executioners  and 
surrounded  it  by  an  iron  fence.  It  was  the  habit 
to  stand  the  prisoners  facing  the  wall  and  then  shoot 
them  in  the  back. 

The  picture  shows  a  number  of  dead  on  the 
ground  and  one  soldier  standing  in  the  act  of  turn- 
ing and  defying  his  executioners  with  the  challenge, 
"You  shall  not  shoot  me  in  the  back."  Above  this 
is  the  Angel  of  Peace  extending  the  laurel  wreath. 

It  is  said  to  have  cost  fourteen  million  dollars 
to  build  Morro,  and  as  much  to  build  Cabanas. 


CUBA    THE    BEAUTIFUL 

When  the  king  of  Spain  was  told  the  cost  of  Morro 
he  got  up,  went  to  the  west  window  and  looked  out 
and  said  he  thought  from  the  coast  that  the  ram- 
parts must  be  so  high  he  could  see  them  across  the 
ocean. 

In  the  foreground  of  Morro  Castle  stands  a  huge 
lighthouse.  It  is  the  tower  shown  in  all  the  pic- 
tures, and  it  bears  a  name  in  large  letters  on  the 
main  side  that  I  would  hardly  take  to  be  Spanish, 
although  it  might  be  French.  It  is  spelled  "O'Don- 
nel."  I  became  interested  in  Mr.  O'Donnel,  whose 
name  was  so  prominent,  and  I  found  that  he  was 
governor  of  Cuba  from  1843  to  1848,  when  the  light- 
house was  built;  that  he  was  a  descendant  of  an 
Irish  patriot,  who  left  Ireland  after  the  battle  of 
Boyne  in  1690,  and  after  serving  Cuba  as  governor 
a  few  years  on  a  moderate  salary,  he  returned  to 
Spain  with  more  savings  than  his  salary  would 
amount  to  in  many  years  and  so  rich  that  the  King 
was  envious  of  him,  and  left  as  a  monument  this 
great  lighthouse  with  his  name  upon  it. 


3C 


The  Second  Letter* 


AMERICAN  OCCUPATION. 

The  American  occupation  was  the  best  thing 
that  ever  happened  to  Havana,  and  the  Island  of 
Cuba  in  general,  and  it  would  be  a  splendid  thing 
if  just  such  an  experience  could  come  to  every 
American  city  about  every  so  often.  The  American 
occupation  was  practically  placing  this  country  in 
the  hands  of  a  receiver,  just  as  a  railroad  of  the 
United  States  is  placed  in  the  hands  of  a  receiver  by 
the  process  of  a  United  States  court. 

In  this  instance  General  Wood  acted  as  the 
receiver,  representing  the  United  States  government 
just  the  same  as  any  other  receiver  represents  the 
district  court  of  the  United  States  in  straightening 
out  the  affairs  of  a  railroad  company. 

When  a  railroad  company  becomes  over- 
burdened by  watered  stocks,  excessive  bonds,  inef- 
ficient and  extravagant  management  and  general 

t? 


CUBA    THE    BEAUTIFUL 

grafting  to  such  an  extent  that  its  outgo  is  so  much 
in  excess  of  its  income  that  it  cannot  continue  in 
business,  then  on  the  petition  of  some  one  the  United 
States  court  steps  in,  takes  possession  of  the  prop- 
erty, appoints  a  receiver,  whose  authority  is  su- 
preme, and  who  if  aniwerable  only  to  the  judge  of 
the  court,  who  appointed  him. 

Then  there  is  something  doing.  The  grafters 
and  plunderers  are  heaved  overboard,  stocks  are 
wiped  out,  bonds  and  securities  scaled  down,  the  in- 
come of  the  road  is  used  to  operate  the  road,  and  to 
improve  its  physical  condition;  new  machinery  is 
purchased,  new  rails  are  laid,  new  rules  are  made, 
and  when  the  general  housecleaning  is  completed, 
the  road  is  frequently  turned  back  to  the  same  or 
another  gang  of  plunderers  and  the  same  original 
story  is  repeated. 

So  Cuba,  that  had  been  robbed  and  plundered 
with  great  regularity  ever  since  its  discovery  by 
Columbus  in  1492,  found  itself,  by  the  fortunes  of 
war,  in  the  hands  of  a  receiver  on  the  first  day  of 
January,  1899.  For  on  that  day  the  American  army 
entered  the  city  of  Havana  and  General  Castellanos, 
the  136th  and  last  Spanish  governor,  surrendered 
the  city,  and  the  whole  country  also,  to  the  Ameri- 
cans. 

88 


AMERICAN    OCCUPATION 

Then  the  Americans  proceeded  to  do  more  for 
the  land  of  Cuba  and  more  for  the  city  of  Havana 
than  perhaps  has  ever  been  done  in  the  same  length 
of  time  for  Cuba  or  even  any  American  settlement, 
and  more  than  any  city  in  America  seems  to  be  able 
to  do  for  itself,  at  any  time,  under  our  methods  of 
municipal  rule. 

In  a  trifle  over  two  years  the  United  States 
receivers  had  made  one  of  the  dirtiest  cities  in  the 
world,  Havana,  one  of  the  cleanest  of  cities. 

They  paved  the  streets,  rebuilt  the  roads  of  the 
country,  remodeled  the  parks  and  boulevards,  estab- 
lished an  American  system  of  police,  also  a  system 
of  sanitation,  and  organized  a  free  school  system 
almost  equal  to  any  in  the  world,  throughout  the 
entire  island. 

They  eradicated  yellow  fever  that  had  been  the 
scourge  of  Cuba  ever  since  it  had  been  introduced 
here  three  hundred  years  or  more  before  by  bring- 
ing convicts  from  Mexico  to  work  upon  the  building 
of  the  forts. 

Havana  was  so  filthy  when  it  fell  into  the  hands 
of  the  Americans  that  a  description  of  how  bad  it 
was  is  hard  to  credit.  Most  all  seaports  seem  to  be 
dirty  places,  and  for  the  four  hundred  years  or  more 

39 


CUBA    THE    BEAUTIFUL 

Havana  was  under  Spanish  domain  it  was  no  excep- 
tion to  that  rule  except  that  it  was  worse  than  most 
seaports. 

The  horrors  of  war  and  consequent  neglect  of 
sanitary  measures  during  the  insurrection  put  it  in  a 
condition  beyond  compare.  The  harbor  with  a  natural 
depth  of  water  of  forty  feet  was  made  a  dumping 
ground  and  allowed  to  fill  up  until  a  large  part  of 
it  was  then,  and  is  still,  useless  and  will  have  to  be 
dredged  out.  Many  ships  would  not  cast  an  anchor 
in  the  harbor  because  the  bottom  was  so  foul  that 
they  could  not  take  the  anchor  on  board  until  it  was 
cleaned  and  disinfected. 

The  streets  of  the  city  were  full  of  everything 
Imaginable,  and  buzzards  fattened  on  the  filth 
therein.  The  smells  were  so  rank  that  strangers  were 
sickened  by  their  presence,  while  yellow  fever,  small 
pox,  consumption  and  other  diseases  raged  at  all 
times.  It  was  a  sorry  place  and  the  angels  of  death 
not  only  hovered  over  the  city,  but  moved  through 
all  the  streets,  and,  figuratively  at  least,  held  nightly 
revelries  in  the  parks  and  plazas. 

The  number  of  deaths  was  out  of  all  proportion 
to  what  they  should  have  been,  and  in  one  year,  when 
statistics  were  kept,  before  the  war,  exceeded  the 
births  in  the  city  by  two  thousand  four  hundred  and 

40 


AMERICAN  OCCUPATION 

thirty-five.  The  morality  of  the  city  was  as  bad  as 
its  sanitary  condition,  and  all  other  cities  on  the 
island  were  the  same.  These  were  the  problems  the 
Americans  had  to  contend  with  and  eradicate  when 
they  came  into  possession  of  Cuba. 

Now,  that  the  good  work  has  been  done,  and  the 
country  has  been  turned  over  to  the  Cubans,  the 
question  naturally  arises,  will  these  people  live  up  to 
the  advantages  that  have  been  entrusted  to  them?  I 
must  confess  I  have  my  serious  doubts.  Since  the 
receivership  is  ended,  will  not  this  country  and  the 
city  go  back  again,  not  to  the  old  gang,  but  to  a  new 
gang,  to  repeat  the  experience  of  old,  just  as  the  rail- 
roads usually  do  in  America?  They  may  not.  I  hope 
they  will  not.  But  we  will  have  to  wait  and  see. 

An  American  who  has  lived  here  several  years 
says  that  he  thinks  they  will.  He  told  me  that  the 
magnificent  sewerage  system  that  was  projected  by 
the  Americans  rests  where  they  left  it;  that  nothing 
has  been  done,  and  that  while  the  city  seems  clean 
and  beautiful  the  sanitary  conditions  are  deplorable 
and  it  is  within  its  recesses  a  reeking  bed  of  filth, 
which  invites  contagion  at  any  and  all  times.  He 
is  sure  that  contagion  will  come  before  long,  and 
come  strong  and  furious. 

41 


CUBA    THE    BEAUTIFUL 

Another  American  here  says  that  there  was  more 
yellow  fever  here  last  year  than  was  reported.  He 
looks  for  an  epidemic  next  year  unless  conditions 
are  improved,  and  he  has  no  hope  of  improvement. 
He  also  says  that  the  last  elections  were  a  farce,  as 
the  elections  were  carried  by  armed  force  and  a  voter 
would  have  done  well  to  order  his  coffin  if  he  was 
going  to  the  polls  determined  to  vote  the  Liberal 
ticket. 

THE  OLD  CATHEDRAL. 

The  old  Cathedral,  built  two  centuries  ago,  and 
commonly  called  the  Columbus  Cathedral,  because 
the  remains  of  the  great  discoverer  were  supposed  to 
be  deposited  there,  is  an  object  of  much  interest. 
Two  of  the  bells  in  the  tower  are  dated  1664  and 
1668,  respectively. 

It  is  a  grand  old  building  considering  its  age, 
but  its  distinction  as  being  the  place  of  deposit  of 
the  bones  of  Columbus  is  called  into  question. 

Columbus  died  in  Valladolid  in  Spain  in  1508, 
and  was  buried  there ;  but  in  accordance  with  his  will, 
his  body  was  removed  and  buried  on  the  island  of 
San  Domingo,  having,  however,  lain  for  awhile  at 
Seville.  The  body  was  buried  in  the  Cathedral  at 
San  Domingo,  where  it  rested  until  1795,  when  San 
Domingo  passed  into  possession  of  the  French. 

42 


THE  OLD  CATHEDRAL 

The  Spaniards  did  not  want  to  entrust  the  re- 
mains of  Columbus  to  their  enemies,  so  they  took 
what  was  supposed  to  be  the  bones  of  Columbus 
and  brought  them  to  Havana  and  deposited  them  in 
this  Cathedral  where  they  rested  until  1898.  When 
Spain  surrendered  Cuba  to  the  United  States,  the 
remains  were  again  disturbed  and  transported  to 
Spain  and  again  buried  in  Seville. 

A  patch  in  the  plaster  of  the  Cathedral  marks 
the  spot  from  whence  the  remains  were  taken,  and 
that  is  the  only  visible  evidence  of  the  resting  place 
here  of  the  great  navigator  who  traveled  much, 
both  living  and  dead. 

In  the  meantime  the  authorities  of  the  Cathedral 
of  San  Domingo  discovered  what  they  claimed  were 
the  real  bones  of  Columbus,  declaring  that  those  re- 
moved to  Havana  were  those  of  a  son  of  Columbus, 
and  they  have  built  for  them  a  costly  tomb  in  their 
Cathedral  at  San  Domingo,  and  claim  they  have  the 
genuine  remains,  and  thus  a  serious  question  is 
raised. 

THE    WEATHER    AND  THE    CLOTHES. 

The  weather  here  is  absolutely  delightful,  the 
thermometer  ranging  in  February  from  sixty-five  to 
seventy-five  degrees.  The  sun  is  very  bright  gener- 
ally, but  there  are  some  showers.  Men  wear  straw 

43 


CUBA    THE    BEAUTIFUL 

hats  and  linen  suits,  and  the  ladies  wear  light  goods, 
while  small  children  wear  very  little  clothing  and 
some  none  at  all. 

But  here  I  will  turn  my  pad  over  to  my  wife, 
and  she  will  give  a  better  description  of  women's 
dress  in  Havana  than  I  can.  So  here  it  is : 

"The  high  class  wealthy  ladies  of  Cuba  dress  in 
beautiful  garments  of  the  latest  style,  mostly  im- 
ported. They  dress  no  different  from  any  lady  of 
New  York,  Chicago  or  other  American  city. 

"They  are  fond  of  jewelry  and  possess  stones  of 
great  size  and  value.  Being  only  tourists,  we  did 
not  see  much  of  society  except  at  the  opera  and 
what  we  could  observe  on  the  street.  Surprising  it 
is  to  see  ladies  with  wool  tailor  suits  on  the  cooler 
days  while  we  northerners  are  uncomfortably  warm 
in  our  thinnest  summer  gowns.  Most  of  the  poorer 
classes  seem  to  wear  cotton  dresses  and,  strange  to 
say,  they  are  very  clean.  Most  of  the  gowns  have 
trains  or  a  slight  sweep,  sometimes  held  up  but  often 
not,  but,  withal,  are  usually  clean. 

"I  have  learned  from  residents  that  the  Cuban 
women  think  a  round  skirt,  such  as  we  wear  at 
present,  very  poor  style.  The  ragged,  dirty  woman, 
white  or  black,  is  the  exception  on  the  street. 

44 


LABOR   CONDITIONS 

"The  children  of  wealthy  parents  dress  as  do  our 
girls  and  boys,  but  the  poor  children  seem  very 
happy  with  only  one  garment,  an  apron,  and  many 
have  only  the  clothes  that  God  gave  them. 

"Let  me  add  something  which  I  think  will  be  of 
interest  to  northern  women.  An  American  lady 
who  has  resided  here  five  years  told  me  that  dress- 
making in  Havana  is  very  cheap,  that  one  could  get 
an  elaborate  dress  made  for  eight  dollars,  and  a 
fairly  good  one  for  four  dollars." 

LABOR  CONDITIONS. 

We  visited  a  large  cigar  factory  the  other  day. 
There  were  four  hundred  and  seventy-five  men  mak- 
ing cigars;  they  sat  at  long  tables,  just  as  they  do 
in  the  north. 

One  thing  particularly  attracted  my  attention. 
They  have  two  rooms.  In  each  room  is  erected 
a  platform,  similar  to  a  pulpit,  which  is  occupied  by 
a  reader  who  reads  to  the  men  while  they  are  at 
work.  The  reading  is  alternated  between  the  two 
rooms.  While  the  reading  is  proceeding  in  a  room 
there  is  respectful  silence;  but  when  the  reading  is 
not  progressing  there  is  a  great  chatter  of  conversa- 
tion. The  reading  is  in  Spanish. 

The  men  work  by  the  piece,  have  a  strong 

45 


CUBA    THE    BEAUTIFUL 

union,  and  earn  wages,  the  proprietor  said,  from  two 
dollars,  even  up  to  six  or  eight  dollars,  but  averag- 
ing, perhaps,  three  dollars  Spanish  money  per  day; 
and  they  spend  it,  he  says,  just  as  fast  as  they 
make  it. 

I  talked  to  a  linotype  operator  about  the  print- 
ing business.  He  said  they  had  no  Typographical 
union  here  now  but  they  didn't  seem  to  need  one 
very  much,  as  American  linotype  operators  got  from 
thirty  to  thirty-five  dollars  per  week.  Cuban  print- 
ers, (Spanish),  receive  wages  from  fourteen  dollars 
up,  but  a  job  on  the  leading  Spanish  paper  here  was 
an  exception  and  better  than  a  job  under  the  gov- 
ernment, as  they  only  worked  three  or  four  hours  a 
day,  and  got  about  all  they  wanted. 

He  didn't  know  much  about  carpenters,  but 
thought  they  earned  from  three  dollars  per  day,  up. 
He  said  they  have  lots  of  holidays,  more  than  he 
could  ever  keep  track  of,  and  that  the  men  always 
get  paid  then  but  do  not  work.  If  they  do  work 
they  get  double  pay  for  the  work,  plus  the  wages 
they  draw  for  not  working,  making  three  times  the 
usual  rate  for  working  on  a  holiday. 

Aside  from  the  cigar  makers,  he  did  not  know 
of  any  other  union.  This  man  came  from  Danville, 
Illinois,  Uncle  Joe  Cannon's  town. 

46 


STREETS   AND   STORES 

A  man  with  some  experience  in  railroad  matters 
told  me  railroad  engineers  receive  about  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  dollars  per  month  and  machinists 
get  about  two  dollars  to  two  dollars  and  a  half 
per  day,  while  laborers  get  one  dollar  to  one 
dollar  and  twenty-five  cents  per  day,  all  in  Spanish 
money.  But  the  machinists  were  machinists  in 
name  only,  while  they  were  poor  blacksmiths  in  fact, 
and  would  not  be  able  to  hold  a  job  any  place  in  the 
states. 

They  say  they  never  had  but  one  labor  strike  in 
Cuba.  That  was  the  strike  of  longshoremen  or 
boat  loaders  at  Cienfuegos,  and  the  people  who  took 
part  in  it  were  transferred  as  criminals  to  the  Isle  of 
Pines. 

STREETS,    STORES,    ETC. 

While  there  appears  to  be  some  very  large 
wholesale  and  commission  business  institutions,  the 
most  of  the  retail  stores  are  small.  Some  of  them 
keep  remarkably  valuable  stocks  and  choice  goods. 
These,  however,  are  largely  purchased  by  tourists. 
The  dealer  in  gems  at  the  entrance  of  the  Inglatara 
hotel  has  separate  pieces  of  jewelry,  rings,  etc.,  run- 
ning from  one  thousand  to  five  thousand  dollars 
each.  Fans  at  twenty-five  dollars  and  up  are  com- 

47 


CUBA    THE    BEAUTIFUL 

mon,  while  laces  and  drawn  work  can  be  had  at 
prices  that  will  stagger  very  fat  pocketbooks.  On 
the  average,  merchandise  runs  about  one  hundred 
per  cent,  higher  than  in  the  states  although  Panama 
hats  and  a  few  other  things  are  sold  cheaper.  There 
are  any  number  of  souvenir  stands,  and  all  peoples 
and  all  languages  are  represented  among  the  dealers. 
I  think  the  best  stores  are  usually  kept  by  Jews, 
mostly  from  the  United  States. 

COLON   CEMETERY. 

Another  place  that  Americans  always  visit  is 
the  cemetery  where  the  victims  of  the  Maine  were 
buried.  These  were  afterwards  removed  to  and 
buried  in  Arlington  cemetery  at  Washington. 

Colon  cemetery  is  well  worth  a  visit,  not  only 
on  account  of  this  historic  incident,  but  also  on  ac- 
count of  the  beauty  of  its  numerous  monuments  and 
statuary,  of  which  there  are  some  remarkably  fine 
specimens. 

The  ladies  are  very  interested  in  the  wonderful 
wax  and  bead  flowers  that  are  placed  upon  the 
tombs.  It  is  the  custom  to  place  such  mementoes  on 
the  graves  of  the  departed,  and  some  of  those  there 
deposited  represent  great  expenditure  of  money  as 
they  are  large  combinations  of  flowers  formed  of  the 

48 


COLON   CEMETERY 

finest  beads  in  all  the  natural  colors  of  the  flowers 
which  they  represent,  while  the  wax  flowers  are 
almost  as  natural  as  real  flowers. 

The  tombs  are  of  two  shapes — those  to  fit  the 
casket  in  a  horizontal  position  and  others  in  the 
square  receptacles.  The  former  are  for  the  recep- 
tion of  the  body  at  the  time  of  burial.  In  after  years 
when  another  death  occurs  in  the  family  the  bones 
are  removed  to  the  smaller  receptacle  and  the  tomb 
is  used  for  the  new  body. 

Cemeteries  are  always  interesting  places,  but 
are  at  the  same  time  sad  and  grewsome  places  to 
visit. 

Just  as  we  entered  the  cemetery  at  Matanaas 
the  great  bell  sounded  a  knell  and  four  men  lifted 
from  a  marble  bier  a  tiny  little  coffin,  suspended  by 
a  netting  of  cords  and  tassels.  Unattended  they 
carried  it  to  a  remote  corner  of  the  field  and  dug  a 
grave  and  deposited  it.  There  were  no  women 
mourners,  as  it  is  not  the  custom  of  this  country  for 
women  to  attend  funerals.  But  I  think  the  women 
of  our  party  shed  the  necessary  number  of  tears  as 
the  little  casket  was  borne  away  and  the  little  body 
was  consigned  to  its  eternal  rest. 

49 


CUBA    THE    BEAUTIFUL 

AN    ECHO    FROM    HOME. 

In  a  foreign  land  an  echo  from  home  is  always 
welcome. 

I  was  sitting  in  front  of  the  hotel  on  the  Grand 
Prado  the  second  night  after  reaching  Cuba  talking 
to  a  man  whom  I  knew  to  be  an  American,  but  did 
not  know  who  he  was. 

In  the  conversation  I  said  something  about  my 
home  town.  ' '  So  you  are  from  that  place,  are  you? ' ' 
he  said.  "I  want  to  tell  you  what  that  brings  to 
mind: 

"Many  years  ago  I  had  just  come  over  from 
Paris  and  Havre  to  London.  It  was  Sunday  morn- 
ing and  as  I  had  nothing  to  do  I  thought  I  would 
take  a  ride  on  a  London  stage.  As  I  wandered 
along  looking  for  a  stage  or  'bus,'  as  they  are  called, 
I  found  myself  in  a  great  crowd  and  was  borne 
along  without  any  particular  object  until,  without 
a  knowledge  of  where  I  was  going  or  why,  I  found 
myself  in  England's  great  church,  Westminster 
Abbey. 

"There  was  a  very  large  assemblage  of  people 
and  a  number  of  priests  or  clergymen  who  took  part 
in  the  service.  But  I  paid  no  particular  attention 
to  the  incantations  or  readings,  as  I  was  never  par- 

so 


AN  ECHO   FROM  HOME 

ticularly  interested  in  the  Episcopal  service,  and 
having  arrived  there  involuntarily,  I  was  simply  a 
'looker  on  in  Venice,'  as  it  were. 

"But  when  the  sermon  was  to  be  preached,  one 
of  the  clergymen  took  the  position  assigned  for  that 
purpose  and  delivered  an  address,  every  word  of 
which  was  a  gem  in  a  chain  of  jewels  and  the  whole 
was  a  masterpiece  of  oratory.  And  now,  after  all 
these  long  years,  that  sermon  is  as  fresh  in  mind  as 
though  I  had  heard  it  today,  and  I  could  repeat  it 
for  you  in  the  full  text.  It  was  by  your  own  dis- 
tinguished citizen,  the  Bishop  of  the  Episcopal 
church  of  your  diocese,  and  if  you  know  him  I  con- 
gratulate you  on  a  valuable  acquaintance." 

I  found  on  further  inquiry  that  the  man  to 
whom  I  was  talking  was  one  of  the  leading  manufac- 
turers of  Illinois,  employing  nearly  four  regiment! 
of  men.  He  was  now  traveling  with  his  family.  A 
strong  friendship  grew  up  between  us  and  we  jour- 
neyed together  to  Vera  Cruz  and  through  some  of 
Mexico.  We  enjoyed  every  minute  of  their  com- 
panionship. 

MONEY    AND    BUSINESS. 

Railroad  travel  here  is  rather  expensive  and 
slow.  The  best  through  train  from  Havana  to  Santi- 

51 


CUBA    THE    BEAUTIFUL 

ago,  about  five  hundred  miles,  consumes  twenty-five 
hours,  and  the  rate  is  twenty-four  dollars  and  five 
cents,  with  five  dollars  added  for  sleeper,  payable  all 
in  American  money. 

It  is  rather  a  vexatious  problem  to  carry  on  busi- 
ness in  two  languages  and  two  kinds  of  money,  which 
is  the  custom  here.  All  prices  are  named  either  in 
Spanish  or  United  States,  commonly  called  American 
money,  and  you  never  know  which  until  you  inquire. 

For  instance,  postage  is  payable  at  the  same  rate 
as  in  America,  and  in  American  money. 

No  Spanish  money  is  taken  for  railroad  fares, 
while  hack  fares  are  in  Spanish.  Street  cars  call  for 
American  money.  At  some  of  the  hotels  the  room 
rates  are  in  American  money  while  the  cafe  bills  are 
in  Spanish.  Cigar  prices  in  one  store  are  in  Ameri- 
can, while  in  another  next  door  they  will  be  in  Span- 
ish. A  store  will  make  prices  on  hats  in  American, 
while  neckties  and  collars  are  rated  in  Spanish. 
Some  dealers  will  take  either  money  and  calculate  the 
difference,  while  others  demand  the  particular  kind 
of  money  in  which  the  price  is  made,  so  a  stranger 
never  knows  whether  he  is  on  foot  or  horseback,  and 
usually  he  is  neither. 

The  Spanish  money  is  practically  based  on  the 
same  mint  as  that  of  the  United  States,  a  five  peseto 

52 


MONEY   AND   BUSINESS 

piece  corresponding  to  the  American  dollar,  a  peseto 
being  twenty  cents.  The  divisions  of  the  dollar  are 
uno  centavo,  meaning  one  cent,  which  is  about  the 
size  of  a  United  States  quarter,  dos  centavo,  dos 
meaning  two,  or  two  cents.  This  two-cent  piece  is 
about  the  size  of  a  United  States  half  dollar.  Then 
there  is  the  real,  which  is  a  ten-cent  silver  piece ;  uno 
peseto,  which  is  twenty  cents  in  silver;  dos  peseto, 
which  is  forty  cents  in  silver;  and  the  five  peseto  or 
one  dollar  piece. 

All  the  prices  seem  to  be  in  fractional  cents,  and 
by  the  time  a  few  purchases  are  made  and  the  change 
is  taken  in  coppers,  one  and  two-cent  pieces  of  their 
enormous  sizes,  a  person  has  a  whole  pocket  full  of 
copper  junk,  too  heavy  to  carry  and  not  enough  to 
buy  a  lunch  with. 

The  merchants  or  shopkeepers  are  alert  and  at- 
tentive to  business  and  display  a  considerable  amount 
of  patience  in  dealing  with  the  everlasting  American 
shoppers,  who  always  do  at  least  ten  tunes  as  much 
shopping  as  they  do  buying.  Prices  seem  pretty  well 
established  and  there  does  not  seem  to  be  much  dick- 
ering on  prices. 

There  are  a  great  many  peddlers  and  they  carry 
heavy  stocks  of  various  kinds  on  their  heads  and  cry 
out  the  goods  in  a  plaintive  incantation. 

53 


CUBA    THE    BEAUTIFUL 

Havana  is  destined  to  be  a  great  place  for  tour- 
ists. Several  thousand  tourists  are  now  landed  here 
each  month,  and  the  number  is  increasing  each  sea- 
son. There  is  a  great  demand  for  better  hotel  facili- 
ties. 

By  the  way,  silver  is  considerably  higher  here 
now  than  formerly.  It  would  be  a  little  peculiar, 
wouldn't  it,  if  silver  should  appreciate  and  be  worth 
worth  a  premium  over  gold.  It  seems  to  be  going 
that  direction  now. 

A  BIT  OF  HISTORY. 

Great  numbers  of  old  cannons  and  other  evi- 
dences of  war  are  scattered  around  in  every  direction 
in  Havana.  Cannons  are  used  as  guards  or  corner 
posts  to  keep  wagons  or  carts  from  running  over  the 
sidewalks  or  to  guard  the  corners  of  buildings,  and 
are  even  set  in  the  ground  for  hitching  posts.  Shot 
and  shells  are  used  to  trim  up  the  walks  in  parks  and 
other  places.  I  noticed  that  what  might  have  been  a 
cobble  stone  pavement  at  one  place  was  composed  of 
cannon  balls. 

The  most  numerous  objects  in  the  parks  are 
cannons  which  have  seen  better  days,  and  these  silent 
reminders  of  noisy  times  can  be  found  everywhere. 

These  are  after  all  only  a  few  of  the  decayed 

51 


A  BIT   OP  HISTORY 

teeth  of  dogs  of  war  that  have  been  turned  loose 
over  this  country  regularly  for  the  last  four  hundred 
years;  for  ever  since  the  discovery  of  Havana  Har- 
bor, there  has  practically  been  a  continuous  warfare 
here  and  the  seasons  of  peace  have  been  the  excep- 
tions. 

If  all  the  powder  that  has  been  exploded  in  the 
attack  and  defense  of  this  city  was  exploded  at  one 
time,  it  would  "burst"  the  world  wide  open;  and  if 
all  the  blood  that  has  been  sacrificed  here  in  all 
years,  had  been  shed  at  one  time,  the  bay  would  be 
overrun  and  the  whole  Gulf  of  Mexico  would  be  "a 
fountain  filled  with  blood." 

In  1508,  which  was  two  years  after  Columbus 
left  this  earth,  Sebastian  de  Ocambo  discovered  this 
harbor  and  that  was  the  beginning  of  Havana. 
From  the  first,  the  city  was  the  prey  of  pirates  and 
robbers  of  all  kinds,  and  the  number  of  times  it  was 
burned  and  plundered  are  too  many  to  enumerate. 
The  sacking  and  burning  of  the  city  occurred  so 
often  that  the  inhabitants  felt  disappointed  if  they 
were  left  in  peace  very  long. 

The  people  then  paid  tribute  to  all  the  gangs 
that  came  and  the  more  they  paid  the  oftener  the 
gangs  came,  Captain  Kidd  among  the  rest.  Then 
the  people  fought  their  enemies  on  the  water  and 

55 


CUBA    THE    BEAUTIFUL 

kept  them  out  by  a  high,  well-guarded  wall  on  the 
land  side.  The  place  was  described  by  a  writer  in 
1829  as  follows : 

"In  the  center  of  the  city  is  a  vast  mass  of  stone 
and  mortar,  encircled  by  a  high  wall  and  the  wall 
encircled  by  a  broad  ditch  of  a  hundred  feet  in 
width  which  can  be  filled  with  water  at  pleasure  for 
the  safe-guarding  of  the  city.  The  turrets  and  port- 
holes of  the  excavated  rock  of  Morro  frowning  over 
the  narrow  entrance  of  the  Harbor,  the  long  range 
of  cannon  and  barracks  on  the  city  side,  the  powerful 
fortifications  that  crest  the  opposite  hill,  all  speak 
one  language  to  the  stranger,  and  with  their  bay, 
populous  with  vessels  from  the  whole  commercial 
world,  tell  the  importance  of  Havana." 

The  Britons  captured  Havana  in  the  eighteenth 
century  and  opened  its  trade  to  the  world  and 
within  a  short  time  slavery  was  introduced  and 
within  sixty  years  over  four  hundred  thousand  Afri- 
can slaves  had  been  landed  on  the  island,  mostly  in 
Havana  harbor. 

Havana  has  seen  all  the  crimes  against  human- 
ity that  could  be  suggested  by  the  whims  of  the 
devil  or  conceived  by  the  iniquity  of  man — culminat- 
ing finally  in  the  blowing  up  of  the  Maine,  which, 

56 


GOVERNOR    TACON 

while  a  great  crime  and  in  some  respects  a  great 
calamity,  was  after  all  the  best  thing  that  ever  hap- 
pened for  Cuba.  It  was  like  the  thunderbolt  that 
announces  the  storm  that  clears  an  unhealthy  and 
stagnated  atmosphere  and  was  followed  by  a 
glorious  day  of  brightest  sunlight  for  the  Cubans. 

GOVERNOR   TACON. 

Of  the  one  hundred  and  thirty-six  governors  of 
Cuba,  appointed  by  the  Spanish  crown,  whose  chief 
business  it  appears  was  to  butcher  the  people  and 
enrich  themselves  by  grafting,  there  were  among 
them  one  or  two  who  were  shining  examples  of  man- 
hood. One  of  these  was  Governor  Tacon,  after 
whom  the  great  market  and  theatre  here  are  named. 
He  was  appointed  in  1834  and  pursued  a  course  so 
radically  different  from  that  of  his  predecessors  that 
his  administration  is  still  remembered. 

Under  his  predecessors  crime  and  lawlessness 
had  reigned  without  hindrance.  The  streets  of 
Havana  and  the  country  roads  were  infested  with 
cut-throats  and  highwaymen  and  the  people  were 
afraid  to  go  about  at  night.  Merchants  and  others 
had  to  pay  for  military  protection  to  move  their 
goods  through  the  country. 


57 


CUBA    THE    BEAUTIFUL 

Tacon  changed  things.  He  came  with  absolute 
power  and  adopted  the  most  arbitrary  methods  to 
stamp  out  crime.  He  apprehended  some  of  the  rob- 
bers and  displayed  their  heads  in  parrot  cages  on 
the  public  streets  and  places  of  concourse  as  an  ex- 
ample to  others. 

He  arrested  vagrants  and  bearers  of  deadly 
weapons  and  made  a  chain  gang  of  two  thousand  of 
them  to  improve  the  public  highways.  He  put  an 
end  to  robberies  and  murders,  shut  up  the  gambling 
dens  and  made  travel  safe. 

He  held  country  magistrates  responsible  for  all 
robberies  committed  in  their  districts. 

He  seized  men  and  without  trial  condemned 
them  to  dungeons  or  exiled  them  without  even  the 
knowledge  of  their  friends. 

He  was  an  autocrat,  but  he  purified  the  atmos- 
phere and  left  Cuba  in  much  better  shape  than  he 
found  it.  He  was  the  kind  of  governor  needed  at 
that  time. 

YELLOW   FEVER. 

It  was  in  the  year  1900  that  the  theory  of  the 
mosquito  transmitting  yellow  fever  was  established 
here  by  making  all  kinds  of  experiments.  This  was 


58 


YELLOW  FEVER 

done  by  a  commission  of  medical  men  under  the 
direction  of  the  surgeon  general  of  the  United 
States.  When  the  theory  seemed  well  established 
war  was  made  upon  the  mosquito  and  both  he  and 
the  yellow  fever  were  driven  out  of  the  country. 
Now  they  have  a  bureau  that  has  the  work  in  charge. 
All  the  fountains  have  been  drained  and  stagnant 
water  ponds  are  cleaned  out  or  treated  with  kero- 
sene. If  the  scourge  has  been  eradicated,  as  it  seems 
is  probable,  there  is  no  reason  why,  with  ordinary 
precautions,  Havana  should  not  be  as  safe  as  almost 
any  large  city  in  the  world  as  far  as  the  matter  of 
health  is  concerned. 


59 


The  Third  Letter. 


IN  AND  AROUND  MATANZAS. 

My  wife  has  always  refused  strenuously  to  write 
anything  for  the  daily  paper,  claiming  that  she  is  not 
a  writer  and,  besides,  she  married  to  get  a  newspaper 
man  and  not  to  be  one.  But  after  she  had  written 
the  following  letter  to  her  mother,  I  thought  it 
covered  so  much  that  might  be  interesting  to  other 
mothers,  also  fathers,  sons  and  daughters,  that  I  in- 
duced her  to  give  it  to  her  parents  through  the 
columns  of  this  paper.  It  saved  me  the  labor  of  writ- 
ing this  part  of  the  trip  myself.  Here  it  is : 

"It  seems  very  hard  to  find  any  time  to  write 
though  we  are  sort  of  resting  here  in  Matanzas.  This 
city  of  forty  thousand  people  is  located  fifty-four 
miles  from  Havana,  by  rail.  This  short  trip  gives  one 
an  opportunity  to  see  something  of  the  interior  of 
Cuba,  and  a  very  beautiful  country  it  is.  We  passed 
through  one  of  the  richest  and  most  prodcutive  por- 
tions of  the  island.  The  sugar  plantations  are  espsci- 

60 


AROUND  MATANZAS 

ally  numerous,  though  we  saw  all  kinds  of  fruits, 
bananas,  pineapples,  truck  gardens,  etc. 

"It  would  seem  that  all  kinds  of  fruits  and 
vegetables  should  be  very  cheap,  but  they  are  not. 
We  have  never  yet  had  grape  fruit  served  at  a  hotel. 

"Oranges  are  served  every  meal.  They  are 
peeled  and  a  fork  is  stuck  into  them  and  one  eats 
them  off  the  fork  with  no  further  cutting.  The 
bananas  served  on  the  table  are  very  small,  about 
four  inches  in  length,  though  one  sees  larger  ones  in 
the  market.  Guava  is  the  popular  fruit  and  is  served 
on  all  occasions.  Guava  paste,  jelly,  preserves  and 
ice  and  it  is  good  in  all  forms.  Mamey  (pronounced 
mammay)  a  fruit  with  a  rough,  brown  skin  and  a  red 
interior,  is  another  fruit  much  used.  A  very  fine  ice 
is  made  from  this. 

"Every  imaginable  fruit  is  converted  into  an  ice 
and  served  in  every  possible  way.  The  Cubans  are 
very  fond  of  ices  and  cold  drinks  of  all  kinds.  It 
seems  that  they  spend  half  their  time  in  indulging  in 
refreshments. 

"After  this  discussion,  let  me  return  to  our  trip 
to  Matanzas.  The  railroad  trains  seem  very  crude 
in  comparison  with  the  luxurious  palace  cars  run  on 
our  fast  trains.  This  train  consisted  of  a  Rogers 

61 


CUBA    THE    BEAUTIFUL 

locomotive,  a  baggage  car,  a  second-class  car,  which 
resembled  a  box-car  with  windows  and  slat  seats,  a 
first-class  car  like  the  poorest  of  our  cars  with  rat- 
tan seats  and  a  parlor  car  for  which  extra  charge 
was  made.  This  car  had  revolving  rattan  chairs 
which  were  very  comfortable.  The  train  which  we 
took  was  a  limited  and  only  made  a  few  stops,  but 
when  it  did  stop  it  stopped  twenty  minutes  each 
time. 

"At  last  we  arrived  at  Matanzas  and  decided 
to  cast  fortunes  with  a  guide,  and  I  guess  it  is  as 
well  that  we  did.  The  party  was  taken  in  surreys  and 
a  volante.  The  volante  fell  to  us,  for -which  we  were 
pleased. 

"This  is  an  ancient  Spanish  vehicle,  a  sort  of 
curiosity  in  these  days.  It  has  two  immense  wheels 
and  the  body  is  suspended  by  leather  straps.  There 
are  large,  strong  shafts  in  which  one  horse  is  hitched, 
then  another  horse  is  hitched  outside  the  shaft  on  the 
left  side.  A  man  rides  the  outside  horse  and  leads  the 
horse  in  the  shafts.  There  is  a  top  to  the  vehicle  and 
they  are  very  comfortable  indeed. 

"Our  guide  took  us  through  the  city,  which 
greatly  resembles  Havana,  only  not  so  large  nor  so 
fine.  Our  first  stop  was  made  at  a  house  which  used 
to  be  an  old  Spanish  home.  Once  a  very  fine  country 

62 


YUMURI   VALLEY 

place,  but  now  the  lower  story  is  used  as  a  home  for 
fighting  cocks.  There  is  a  pit  in  the  yard  and  here 
cock  fights  are  held.  The  cocks  are  very  handsome, 
and  we  were  told  that  some  of  them  were  famous 
fighters,  as  much  as  two  thousand  dollars  being 
wagered  on  a  fight. 

"Proceeding  on  our  journey  after  a  nice  drive 
over  splendid  roads,  we  reached  the  summit  of  Cum- 
bre  Hill.  From  this  point  we  had  a  fine  view  of  the 
famous  Yumuri  Valley,  which  Humboldt,  the  famous 
philosopher  and  traveler,  said  was  the  most  beautiful 
valley  in  the  world. 

"Some  persons  might  not  agree  with  this  opinion 
but  certainly  one  does  not  see  many  more  beautiful 
spots.  It  is  a  fertile  basin,  dotted  with  Royal  Palms, 
through  whose  fields  runs  the  winding  Yumuri  river. 
This  valley  is  entirely  surrounded  by  hills,  except  for 
a  very  small  break  through  which  flows  the  river. 

"There  is  a  legend  connected  with  the  names  of 
Matanzas  and  Yumuri.  When  the  Spaniards  dis- 
covered this  country  it  was  peopled  by  Indians,  desig- 
nated as  Aztecs.  About  the  same  melancholy  war- 
fare was  carried  on  between  the  Aztecs  and 
Spaniards  as  was  waged  in  our  North  America  be- 
tween the  Indians  and  whites. 

63 


CUBA    THE    BEAUTIFUL 

"In  after  years  the  Spaniards  had  reduced  the 
Aztecs  to  a  mere  handful  and  they  were  all  gathered 
here  at  what  is  now  called  Matanzas.  The  Spaniards 
came  upon  the  Aztecs  and  massacred  nearly  all,  a 
few  escaping  to  the  valley.  Here  the  Spaniards  fol- 
lowed them  and  fell  upon  them,  and  as  the  Indians 
died  they  threw  up  their  hands,  crying,  "Yo  mori" 
— I  die.  This  sounded  to  the  Spaniards  like  Yu-mu- 
ri,  and  the  name  was  ever  afterwards  applied  to  this 
beautiful,  peaceful  valley,  and  the  city  on  the  slope 
of  the  hill  was  called  Matanzas,  which  means  to 
slaughter,  or  the  place  of  slaughter. 

"On  the  very  highest  point  of  Cumbre  Hill 
stands  a  little  church  built  by  Cuban  residents,  who 
came  from  Catalonia  and  the  Balearic  Islands,  and 
named  "The  Monserratte,"  after  a  church  in  Spain 
similarly  located  on  a  hill.  Its  altar  is  made  of  cork 
brought  from  Spain  and  represents  the  shrine  in  the 
Monastery  of  the  Monserratte  in  Spain,  which  is  one 
of  the  most  popular  shrines  in  Christendom;  many 
miracles  are  said  to  have  been  performed  at  this 
shrine  in  Spain,  and  this  shrine,  as  well,  is  supposed 
to  perform  wonderful  cures.  On  the  walls  are  hung 
many  relics,  crutches,  braces,  slings,  etc.,  cast  aside 
by  the  healed;  also  wooden  and  silver  articles  offered 
in  fulfillment  of  vows. 

64 


BELLAMAR   CAVES 

"The  altar  is  certainly  curious — made,  as  I  said 
before,  of  cork  and  representing  a  high  mountain 
with  houses  of  paper  set  here  and  there  on  the  moun- 
tain, supposed  to  be  exact  replicas  of  similar  build- 
ings on  the  mountain  in  Spain.  From  the  church 
yard  is  a  beautiful  view  of  the  city  of  Matanzas,  and 
the  bay  in  the  distance. 

BELLAMAR  CAVES. 

"Returning  down  the  mountain,  passing  through 
the  city,  driving  along  the  bay,  and  with  a  long,  hard 
pull  over  the  worst,  stony  road  I  have  ever  traveled, 
we  reached  the  entrance  of  Bellamar  caves.  We 
were  again  thankful  that  the  volante  had  fallen  again 
to  our  share,  for  over  such  terrible  roads  it  seems  as 
if  one  might  be  shaken  to  pieces  in  a  surrey ;  but  the 
volante  swings  on  its  leathern  straps,  which  makes 
riding  over  such  roads  tolerable. 

"Entering  the  cave  we  descended  long  nights  of 
stairs.  The  cave  is  electric  lighted  by  the  use  of  a 
gasoline  engine  and  dynamo,  so  we  were  enabled  to 
get  a  fine  view  of  the  stalactite  and  stalagmite  for- 
mations, which  are  very  beautiful.  They  resemble 
icicles,  being  composed  of  clear  and  brilliant  crys- 
tals. Sometimes  the  two  parts  unite  and  form  a  solid 
column  of  several  feet.  The  formation  is  the  same 
throughout  the  caves. 

65 


CUBA    THE    BEAUTIFUL 

"The  air  is  very  warm  and  one  is  in  a  dripping 
perspiration  and  thoroughly  exhausted  when  one  re- 
turns to  the  surface.  It  is  a  hard  trip,  the  rough 
ride  and  the  long  walk  in  the  sweltering  atmosphere 
of  the  caves,  but  it  repays  one  if  one  has  not  seen 
caves  and  such  formations  before. 

"A  heavy  rain  had  begun  while  we  were  in  the 
caves  and  we  were  very  glad  when  we  reached  our 
hotel,  after  the  jolting  ride  back  to  town. 

"The  hotel,  "The  Louvre,"  is  a  veritable  haven 
of  rest.  We  were  shown  to  a  beautiful  front  room, 
ceiling  eighteen  or  twenty  feet  high,  a  bed  draped 
in  royal  blue  brocade,  marble  floors,  quaint  door 
screens  of  white  woodwork  and  glass  with  trans- 
parent Spanish  scenes  painted  upon  them.  All  this 
was  inviting.but  when  we  had  our  dinner,  and  for  the 
first  time  in  Cuba  found  food  really  palatable,  we 
certainly  did  rejoice. 

"We  have  been  here  three  days  and  we  have 
found  the  table  good  at  all  times. 

"The  Louvre  was  once  an  elegant  old  Spanish 
mansion  and  is  more  than  ordinarily  well  finished. 
There  is  an  open  court  in  the  center  with  fountain 
and  flowers — the  floors  and  stairways  are  all  marble 
with  marble  statues  in  the  corridor,  or  lobby.  It 

66 


THE  ROYAL  PALM 

must  have  been  a  very  handsome  home  in  its  day.  It 
was  built  in  1860. 

"We  took  a  drive  into  the  country,  through  the 
gorge  and  beyond  into  the  Yumuri  valley  over  a  very 
.fine  road  which  was  made  and  is  maintained  by  the 
government.  The  Royal  Palms  are  found  here  in 
great  rows. 

"The  Royal  Palm,  called  sometimes  the  "Blessed 
Tree,"  because  of  its  manifold  uses,  grows  straight 
and  tall  like  a  shaft.  From  the  top  springs  a  tuft  of 
leaves  and  at  the  base  of  these  leaves,  which  is  about 
sixty  feet  from  the  ground,  grow  large  bunches  of 
berries  which  are  very  good  for  fattening  pigs.  The 
leaves  are  made  into  baskets  and  used  to  form  the 
roofs  of  houses.  From  the  trunk  is  made  weather- 
boarding  and  furniture  and  certain  portions  are  used 
for  food  and  medicine  purposes.  While  a  single  palm 
tree  has  little  value  for  shade,  the  long  avenues  of 
palms  are  singularly  beautiful  and  impressive. 

"In  the  old  Spanish  days  when  a  plat  of  ground 
was  bought  so  much  was  paid  for  the  ground  and  one 
dollar  for  each  royal  palm  growing  thereon. 

"Young  bread  fruit  trees  have  been  planted  all 
along  this  highway. 

"We  came  very  near  to  some  of  the  country 

67 


CUBA    THE    BEAUTIFUL 

houses,  which  are  no  more  than  huts  with  thatched 
roofs,  sometimes  with  one  or  two  windows,  often  with 
none. 

"On  this  drive  we  also  visited  Matanzas  ceme- 
tery— a  small  affair  compared  to  Colon  in  Havana — 
with  only  a  few  good  monuments  or  mausoleums  and 
poorly  kept. 

"In  the  evening  we  strolled  out  primarily  to  visit 
the  stores,  which  are  of  the  same  general  nature  as 
those  in  Havana,  only  smaller,  which  is  only  natural 
since  Havana  is  several  times  larger  than  Matanzas. 

"But  before  we  had  gone  far  we  were  led  astray 
by  a  trio  of  wandering  musicians.  While  following 
them  we  fell  in  with  a  Cuban  youth  who  is  being 
educated  in  New  York. 

"When  he  found  that  we  were  eager  to  hear  Cu- 
ban music  he  immediately  conducted  us  to  the  central 
station  of  the  fire  department.  Perhaps  you  think 
that  would  be  a  queer  place  to  go  to  find  music. 
Well,  so  did  we;  but  sure  enough,  after  passing 
through  the  engine  house,  we  came  to  a  court  or  park, 
within  which  was  a  band  stand  and  a  band  playing  a 
most  entrancing  waltz. 

"This  park  is  very  pretty  with  a  large  statue 
fountain,  flowers,  and  many  seats. 

68 


THE  GOVERNMENT  BUILDING 

' '  The  engine  house  is  equipped  with  the  very  best 
of  American  apparatus  and  fine,  large  horses  from 
the  United  States,  and  best  of  all  a  medical  or  surgi- 
cal department,  where  those  injured  in  a  fire  or 
otherwise  may  receive  proper  attention. 

"On  our  way  back  to  the  hotel  we  passed  the 
opera  house  where  a  rehearsal  was  going  on.  Hav- 
ing heard  that  anyone  was  permitted  to  witness  a 
rehearsal  free  of  charge,  we  went  in  and  listened  to 
the  most  terrible  rendition  of  a  portion  of  the 
opera,  "La  Mascotte,"  that  one  ever  heard.  The 
women  of  the  company  smoked  cigars  or  cigarettes 
between  acts.  After  listening  to  a  little  solo  work 
and  one  awful  chorus,  we  left,  thanking  fate  that  we 
had  not  been  inveigled  into  witnessing  the  public 
performance  the  next  night. 

"One  morning  we  strolled  over  to  the  govern- 
mental building  near  our  hotel.  A  man,  seeing  us, 
strolling  aimlessly  around,  conducted  us  to  a  room 
and  soon  brought  in  a  gentleman  who  spoke  very 
good  English,  and  who  it  developed  was  the  Alcalde 
or  mayor  of  the  city,  Sig.  Isadore  J.  Ojeda.  He  is  a 
very  intelligent,  polite  gentleman  and  gave  us  con- 
siderable information.  He  told  us  that  this  building 
was  used  as  a  state  house  and  a  city  hall.  The  gov- 
ernor of  the  Province  of  Matanzas  and  the  state  oifi- 

69 


CUBA    THE    BEAUTIFUL 

cers  have  their  offices  in  one  end  of  the  building,  and 
the  mayor  and  city  officials  are  in  the  other  end. 

"The  building  looks  hundreds  of  years  old,  but 
Mr.  Ojeda  said  it  was  built  in  1850.  It  is  somewhat 
in  need  of  repair,  as  are  all  buildings  in  this  city. 
There  is  a  beautiful  park,  one  small  block  in  size,  in 
front  of  the  government  building. 

"Matanzas  is  so  much  in  general  characteristics 
like  Havana  that  it  is  useless  to  say  more.  All  houses 
are  built  in  the  same  general  way.  But  Matanzas 
does  not  look  so  prosperous  as  Havana.  It  is  worth 
visiting  in  order  to  get  a  view  of  the  interior  of  Cuba, 
and  see  the  famous  Yumuri  valley,  and  last  of  all  in 
this  nice  little  hotel  it  is  nice  to  rest  after  a  week  of 
strenuous  sight-seeing  in  Havana." 

ODD  AND  CURIOUS. 

There  are  a  number  of  things  that  strike  a  person 
as  odd  and  curious  in  this  country. 

For  instance,  men  take  the  place  of  chamber- 
maids in  all  the  hotels. 

Oranges  are  served  completely  peeled  and  are 
eaten  from  the  tines  of  a  fork. 

Goats  are  kept  in  considerable  numbers  in  place 
of  cows. 

70 


ODD    AND    CUEIOUS 

Roses  grow  beautifully  and  are  sold  at  fairly 
reasonable  prices, 

Small  pigs  and  goats  are  carried  to  market  by 
tying  their  feet  with  fibres,  and  then  carrying  them 
back  down — like  a  grip-sack. 

Milk  men  carry  their  stock  of  bottles  and  cans 
on  horseback,  instead  of  wagons. 

And  poultry  men  carry  their  chickens  the  same 
way. 

Some  of  the  senoritas  are  very  handsome  and 
all  powder  and  paint  to  an  extraordinary  degree. 

There  are  no  slot  machines  nor  open  gambling, 
although  there  are  big  gambling  establishments. 

There  are  good  macadamized  military  roads, 
through  the  country,  others  are  woefully  bad. 

Black  coffee,  as  it  is  called,  is  usually  served 
about  half  hot  milk  and  the  other  half  coffee  as  black 
as  tar  and  nearly  as  thick,  the  waiter  always  carry- 
ing two  pots,  one  for  coffee  and  one  for  milk,  in  each 
hand,  with  a  long  side  handle. 

There  are  plenty  of  fleas  here,  enough  to  fill  all 
the  dogs  and  have  some  left  over  for  the  people,  al- 
though they  are  not  very  vicious. 

Negroes  and  whites  are  on  exceedingly  friendly 
terms,  but  do  not  seem  to  intermarry  to  any  great 
extent. 

71 


CUBA    THE    BEAUTIFUL 

The  ringing  of  the  church  bells,  of  which  there 
are  usually  several  on  each  church,  is  done  in  a  very 
vigorous  manner.  A  rope  is  attached  to  each  clapper 
and  they  are  jerked  alternately  and  rapidly  and 
sound  more  like  a  fire  alarm  than  an  invitation  to 
peace  and  rest. 

While  there  seems  to  be  a  good  deal  of  drink- 
ing, there  is  not  much  drunkenness.  I  have  only  seen 
two  men  drunk  while  here,  and  the  "drunkest"  of 
the  two  was  an  American  tourist  in  the  hotel. 

The  harbors  are  infested  with  sharks,  but  I  can- 
not find  that  they  attack  people  even  while  bathing 
in  the  waters. 

Cock  fighting  and  bull  fighting  are  prohibited  by 
law,  but  cock  fighting  is  engaged  in  just  the  same  as 
it  is  in  some  American  places. 

The  soil  is  about  the  color  of  a  brown  pointer- 
dog  with  a  trifle  redder  tinge  and  when  softened  by 
rain  becomes  almost  a  reddish  brown  paint. 

Electric  fans,  telephones,  fire  alarms,  etc.,  are 
used  here  the  same  as  in  the  United  States. 

Snakes  grow  in  length  to  as  much  as  twenty  or 
even  twenty-five  feet,  but  are  all  of  the  boa  constric- 
tor order,  there  being  none  that  are  poisonous. 

Policemen  are  dressed  in  blue  linen  or  duck  and 
carry  big  revolvers  strapped  on  the  outside. 

72 


ODD   AND    CURIOUS 

Glass  or  crystal  chandeliers  are  used  every- 
where for  gas  and  sometimes  for  electric  lights. 

Street  car  men,  as  well  as  many  others,  dress  in 
linen  in  midwinter. 

The  hard  bed  cranks  should  be  happy  in  this 
country,  as  no  mattresses  are  used.  About  two  quilts 
cover  a  woven  wire  frame  and  every  time  you  wake 
up  you  find  yourself  paralyzed  on  one  side. 

The  hotels  save  laundry  bills  by  hanging  the 
towels  out  in  the  sun  and  after  they  are  sufficiently 
dry  they  use  them  again.  They  are  supposed  to  re- 
turn them  to  the  same  rooms,  but  they  usually  get 
mixed. 

The  oxcarts  on  which  they  haul  cane  are  tre- 
mendous affairs  and  wonderfully  plain.  They  are 
drawn  ordinarily  by  three  yoke  of  oxen,  sometimes 
more.  They  have  only  two  wheels,  but  these  are 
about  the  size  of  the  main  drivers  of  a  locomotive  and 
the  balance  of  the  cart  is  heavy  in  proportion. 

Everything  is  old  and  looks  to  be  older  than  it 
is.  Children  are  plentiful  and  very  dark  skinned. 
Hogs  are  on  the  "hazel  splitter"  or  "razor  back" 
variety.  Mosquitos  ripen  in  January  and  are  ready 
to  pick  in  February.  Doors  have  brass  knockers  on 
the  outside  in  place  of  bells.  Oxen  are  iron  shod. 

73 


CUBA    THE    BEAUTIFUL 

There  are  few  beggars  except  boys  who  "holler" 
for  pennies.  Everybody  seems  to  have  plenty  of 
leisure  and  little  to  do.  Farm  lands  seem  to  lack 
diligent  cultivation.  Cattle  are  raw-boned  and  seem 
poorly  kept.  Some  wooden  plows  are  still  used. 
A  great  deal  of  stuff  is  carried  on  horseback.  Lob- 
sters have  no  claws.  The  meats  are  woefully  bad. 
Ice  is  served  in  liberal  quantities. 


74 


The  Fourth  Letter* 


WHAT  WE  DID  NOT  SEE. 

To  a  man  engaged  in  active  business,  who 
hardly  gets  ten  minutes  in  a  month  at  home  that  he 
can  call  his  own,  ten  days  of  sightseeing  and  lying 
around  hotels  seems  an  awful  long  time  to  devote  to 
one  island.  So  I  felt  extremely  anxious  to  move  on 
and  conquer  the  next  world. 

With  the  knowledge  which  we  had  of  Cuba 
when  we  came  there  and  what  we  gained  while  we 
were  here,  we  realized  when  we  were  ready  to  move 
on  how  many  things  there  were  that  we  could  not 
see. 

Like  all  other  American  tourists  who  are  on  * 
short  vacation,  we  were  going  as  if  Satan  was  after 
us  and  we  had  to  keep  moving.  So  we  went  on, 
leaving  behind  us  many  natural  and  artificial 
beauties  and  such  places  as  Santiago,  Cienfuegos, 
Puerto  Principe,  Santa  Clara,  Guanabacoa,  Batabano, 

75 


CUBA    THE    BEAUTIFUL 

etc.,  the  adjacent  Isle  of  Pines  and  a  whole  lot  of 
other  places  and  things  of  great  interest,  without 
visiting  them. 

Santiago  is  five  hundred  and  thirty-two  miles 
from  Havana,  or  within  two  hundred  miles  of 
the  entire  length  of  the  island.  Here,  however,  dis- 
tances are  counted  by  kilometers.  There  is  a  rail- 
way, a  very  good  line,  between  the  two  cities,  and 
the  fare  is  twenty-four  dollars  and  five  cents,  and 
five  dollars  extra  for  a  sleeper.  I  think  the  fare 
for  the  trip  is  fixed  on  the  basis  of  time  rather  than 
of  distance. 

In  the  United  States  one  pays  ordinarily  about 
one  dollar  per  hour  for  traveling  on  a  railway  train. 
And  the  people  who  run  the  railways  here  perhaps 
took  that  for  a  guide  in  fixing  the  rates,  overlooking 
the  fact  that  in  the  United  States  one  usually  gets 
over  about  one  thousand  miles  or  more  in  twenty- 
five  hours,  while  in  Cuba  he  only  gets  over  a  trifle 
above  five  hundred  miles  in  the  same  time. 

The  line  of  railway  from  Havana  runs  down  the 
backbone,  as  it  were,  of  Cuba,  with  branch  lines 
running  off  in  either  direction  like  legs  extending 
out  from  either  side  of  the  body  of  a  long  centipede. 
It  appears  that  the  line  is  built  in  a  very  advantage- 
ous position  and  is  destined  to  have  almost  the 

76 


SANTIAGO    BATTLE 

monopoly  of  the  railroad  business  in  the  main  part 
of  the  island  for  some  time  to  come.  It  has,  how- 
ever, to  meet  the  competition  of  the  coastwise  boats. 
Santiago  is  a  considerable  town.  It  had  nearly 
fifty  thousand  population  at  the  time  of  the  Span- 
ish-American war  and  has  improved  since.  It  has 
a  wonderful  harbor,  which  our  navy  found  to  be 
almost  impregnable  when  Admiral  Cervera  of  the 
Spanish  fleet  sneaked  in  there  and  wouldn't  come 
out  to  fight  with  either  Sampson  or  Schley.  The 
Spanish  fleet  did  finally  come  out  of  the  harbor  and 
made  an  attempt  to  escape,  on  the  morning  of  July 
3,  1898. 

Bear  Admiral  Sampson  was  ranking  com- 
mander of  the  fleet  and  under  him  were  Commodore 
Schley  and  the  officers  of  the  various  battleships  and 
men  of  war.  On  one  bright  sunny  morning  Samp- 
son had  sailed  east  to  confer  with  Shafter,  Roose- 
velt and  others  as  to  the  best  way  to  proceed  to 
dislodge  the  Spaniards  and  get  them  out,  directing 
Schley  to  keep  a  close  watch  and  make  battle  upon 
the  enemy  should  he  appear.  About  the  time  that 
Sampson  had  got  beyond  recall  the  Spaniards,  with 
all  their  great  array  of  battleships,  cruisers,  etc., 
came  out  into  the  ocean  either  to  escape  or  find 
another  berth.  Schley,  with  Phillips,  Evans  and 

77 


CUBA    THE    BEAUTIFUL 

others,  opened  upon  them,  and,  as  they  would  have 
said  in  olden  times,  they  smote  them  hip  and  thigh. 

It  was  the  greatest  naval  battle  that  was  ever 
fought  upon  the  waters  of  this  globe — the  greatest 
destruction  of  battleships  and  men  of  war  the  world 
has  ever  seen,  and  the  greatest  and  most  successful 
victory  ever  achieved,  even  eclipsing  the  brilliant 
victory  of  Dewey  at  Manila  harbor  that  a  short 
time  before  had  dazzled  the  nations  by  its  pictur- 
esque splendor  and  complete  annihilation  of  the 
enemy's  fleet. 

There  was  not  a  boat  disabled  and  scarcely  a 
human  life  lost  on  the  American  side,  while  every 
boat  of  the  Spaniards  was  sent  to  the  bottom  or 
badly  damaged,  and  the  loss  of  life  with  them  was 
appalling,  running  even  into  the  thousands. 

As  one  of  the  last  boats  was  going  down,  the 
sailors  on  Captain  Bob  Evans'  boat  sent  up  a  lusty 
cheer,  but  Bob  said:  "Don't  cheer,  boys;  remember 
the  poor  devils  are  drowning."  Captain  Phillips 
called  all  his  men  on  deck  to  join  in  songs  of  thanks- 
giving and  prayer. 

About  this  time  Admiral  Sampson,  who  had 
heard  the  firing  from  afar,  came  back  as  fast  as  he 
could  steam,  and  got  there  just  as  the  last  boat  of 
the  enemy  had  been  pursued  to  its  finish  and  had 

78 


PEOCTOR  KNOTT'S   STORY 

struck  its  colors.  Then  Sampson  sent  his  famous 
dispatch:  "I  have  destroyed  the  enemy,  the  victory 
is  mine,"  or  words  to  that  effect. 

A  long  and  bitter  controversy  grew  out  of  this, 
and  after  a  long  session  of  a  commission  it  was 
finally  decided  that  the  victory  and  blood  money, 
which  is  politely  referred  to  aa  prize  money,  be- 
longed to  Sampson. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  the  award  gave 
great  dissatisfaction  throughout  the  country,  for 
most  everybody  thought  that  the  victory  belonged 
to  Schley,  and  that  Schley  was  entitled  to  all  the 
glory  and  the  prize  money. 

PROCTOR  KNOTT'8  STORY. 

The  next  day  after  the  award  was  made,  some 
other  congressmen  met  old  Proctor  Enott  of  Ken- 
tucky and  asked  him  what  he  thought  of  the  de- 
cision. 

He  said:  "The  decision  suits  me  exactly,  and 
it  has  lifted  off  my  stomach  a  rabbit  that  has  lain 
heavy  thereon  for  over  fifty  years,  and  for  that 
reason  I  like  the  decision.  Once  when  I  was  a  big 
boy,  I  went  out  hunting  with  a  little  boy.  We  chased 
a  rabbit  into  a  hole,  but  we  couldn't  get  him  out. 
We  tried  to  twist  him  out  with  a  forked  stick;  fired 

79 


CUBA    THE    BEAUTIFUL 

off  guns  and  did  everything  else,  but  the  rabbit 
wouldn't  come  out.  Finally  I  told  the  little  boy  to 
stand  with  a  club  and  watch  the  hole  until  I  went 
home  and  ^ot  some  brown  paper  and  kindling  so 
we  could  smoke  him  out.  While  I  was  after  the 
paper  and  wood  the  rabbit  came  out  and  the  small 
boy  knocked  him  in  the  head,  and  when  I  got  back 
he  had  the  rabbit  skinned  and  ready  for  the  pan. 
A  controversy  arose;  I  claimed  the  rabbit  was  all 
mine,  as  it  was  captured  under  my  orders;  the  boy 
claimed  that  half  of  it  belonged  to  him.  I,  however, 
took  the  rabbit,  carried  it  home  and  had  it  cooked 
for  our  family,  and  I  ate  my  share  of  it.  That  rabbit 
has  lain  heavy  on  my  stomach  ever  since,  but  this 
decision  has  cleared  my  conscience  and  lifted  the 
weight  of  that  rabbit,  for  I  know  now  that  the  rab- 
bit was  mine  and  I  was  right  in  claiming  it.  There- 
fore I  heartily  concur  in  the  findings  of  the  Com- 
mission and  I  endorse  their  report." 

THE  LATE  WAR. 

Some  of  the  old  warships  have  never  been  re- 
covered, but  still  lie  in  the  bottom  of  the  Caribbean 
Sea  where  the  Americans  placed  them  in  1898,  and 
the  bones  of  those  poor  Spaniards  who  went  down 
with  them  are  still  there. 

80 


ROOSEVELT'S   MAD    CHARGE 

Those  Spaniards  may  have  been  fighting  in  a 
bad  cause,  but  they  did  so  faithfully  and  yielded 
there  and  at  that  time  the  supremest  evidence  of 
their  conviction  of  their  honest  adherence  to  duty. 
So  I  deem  them  worthy  of  all  the  honor  that  their 
friends  would  claim  for  them. 

It  was  in  the  mouth  of  Santiago  harbor  that 
Hobson  and  his  little  crew  made  their  wild  venture 
in  their  attempt  to  bottle  up  the  Spanish  fleet.  The 
attempt  was  a  failure,  but  it  made  Hobson  a  great 
hero,  started  him  on  the  lecture  platform  and  placed 
him  in  a  position  to  break  the  world's  record  in 
kissing  idiotic  women. 

It  was  near  Santiago,  at  El  Caney,  that 
Roosevelt  with  his  Rough  Riders  made  their  wild 
charge  up  San  Juan  Hill — a  charge  so  bold  and  un- 
conventional that  it  had  no  military  precedent,  a 
charge  which  lacked  caution,  prudence  and  strategy, 
but  which  routed  the  Spaniards,  ended  the  war  and 
indirectly  made  Roosevelt  president  of  the  United 
States. 

It  was  to  Santiago  that  a  shipload  of  prominent 
men  and  officials,  and  generals  in  the  army,  came 
while  we  were  in  Cuba,  to  dedicate  a  great  monument 
to  the  fallen  heroes  of  the  Spanish-American  war. 

81 


CUBA    THE    BEAUTIFUL 
Santiago  is  a  picturesque  place,  surrounded  by 

mountains  on  three  sides. 

Yellow  fever  has  been  prevalent  there,  in  past 

years. 

Copper  is  mined  in  its  vicinity,  and  a  large 
business  is  done  in  coffee  and  all  kinds  of  fruits 
and  tropical  vegetation. 

It  was  surrendered  to  the  Americans  July  17, 
1898,  and  was  improved,  like  other  parts  of  Cuba, 
by  the  American  occupation. 

VARIOUS  MATTERS  OF  INTEREST. 

Then  there  is  Cienfuegos,  with  a  population  of 
fifty  thousand,  that  must  be  worth  a  visit  of  con- 
siderable duration.  It  has  a  noble  harbor,  big 
enough  to  accommodate  all  the  ships  of  the  world, 
twenty-six  square  miles  of  water. 

Cuba  is  remarkably  well  supplied  with  harbors. 
The  Lord  was  very  kind  to  the  Island  in  this  re- 
spect. There  are  good  harbors  at  Havana,  Santiago, 
Cienfuegos,  Matanzas  and  Puerto  Principe,  and  some 
lesser  ones  at  other  ports. 

Cienfuegos  is  a  new  town  for  the  southern  coun- 
tries, not  being  founded  until  1819.  It  does  a  good 
export  trade. 

Cuba  has  many  beauty  spots  and  some  natural 

82 


ODDS  AND  ENDS 

wonders,  one  of  which  is  the  lost  river — a  beautiful 
stream  that  traverses  a  section  of  the  country  and 
sinks  into  the  earth  and  is  lost  for  several  miles, 
when  it  bursts  out  and  descends  with  beautiful  cas- 
cades down  the  hillside  into  the  ocean. 

Then  there  are  several  caves  lined  with  crystal 
in  all  shapes  and  forms. 

Some  rivers  with  lovely  waterfalls,  and  moun- 
tains as  high  as  seven  thousand  five  hundred  feet, 
bathing  beaches,'  summer  and  winter  resorts  are 
many  of  the  things  that  make  up  an  interesting 
country. 

The  treatment  of  the  aborigines  of  Cuba,  Mex- 
ico and  the  United  States  presents  a  peculiar  study. 
Columbus  made  his  discovery  of  this  hemisphere 
in  1492.  By  1553,  or  in  just  sixty-one  years,  the 
natives  were  all  killed  off  in  Cuba.  At  the  end  of 
four  hundred  years  we  in  America  have  a  handful 
left,  while  in  Mexico  there  are  about  as  many  aa 
there  were  in  the  beginning,  far  outnumbering  the 
Spaniards  or  their  descendants. 

Cuba  has  a  population  of  over  a  million  and  a 
half.  There  are  thirty-one  towns  in  Cuba  that  have 
more  than  five  thousand  population,  fourteen  that 
have  ten  thousand  or  more,  running  up  to  Havana 
that  has  a  quarter  of  a  million. 

83 


CUBA    THE    BEAUTIFUL 

There  are  five  hundred  and  seventy  small  islands 
scattered  along  the  north  coast  of  Cuba,  and  seven 
hundred  and  thirty  on  the  south  side  of  the  island. 
So  it  would  appear  that  a  trip  around  the  island  by 
boat  would  be  exceedingly  interesting,  and  that  a 
person  might  spend  a  year  if  he  were  determined 
to  see  everything  there  is  to  see. 

The  varied  industries  and  products  of  Cuba  are 
greater  than  most  people  are  aware  of.  Most  every- 
body knows  that  large  quantities  of  tobacco  of  the 
very  best  quality  in  the  world  are  raised  in  Cuba, 
but  do  you  know,  my  dear  reader,  that  here  copper, 
asphaltum,  iron,  manganese  and  salt  are  produced, 
or  mined?  There  are  over  eight  million  dollars 
of  American  money  invested  in  the  iron  industry 
alone. 

Asphaltum,  or  asphalt  as  it  is  usually  called, 
which  is  used  in  street  paving,  is  a  peculiar  bitumin- 
ous substance  usually  found  in  lakes  in  several  parts 
of  the  world.  A  great  deal  of  it  comes  from  the  is- 
land of  Trinidad,  on  the  north  side  of  the  coast  of 
South  America.  It  is  also  found  in  some  of  the  west- 
ern states  of  America.  It  is  found  in  several  places 
in  Cuba,  and  ten  thousand  tons  have  been  shipped  in 
one  year  from  one  part  of  the  island. 

Near  Cordenas  it  is  found  in  the  bottom  of  the 

84 


WHAT   WE   MISSED 

bay.  No  one  knows  where  it  comes  from,  but  it  is 
there,  and  when  it  is  removed  more  accumulates  in 
its  place.  It  is  supposed  to  be  deposited  from  sub- 
terranean rivers  that  empty  here  below  the  sea  level. 

You  have,  perhaps,  heard  the  old  refrain,  "There 
is  a  hole  in  the  bottom  of  the  sea,"  well,  that  is  what 
you  need  here  to  mine  asphalt.  They  dig  a  big  hole 
or  shaft  in  the  bottom  of  the  bay  and  the  asphalt  runs 
into  this,  trickling  down  the  sides.  Then,  when  the 
hole  has  become  lined  with  the  material,  which  ad- 
heres to  its  sides,  they  run  out  a  ship  over  the  shaft 
and  let  down  a  heavy  sharp  piece  of  iron  which 
breaks  the  asphalt  loose  from  the  sides  of  the  shaft 
and  it  drops  into  the  bottom  and  is  scooped  up  and 
loaded  onto  the  vessel.  This  industry  has  been  car- 
ried on  for  years,  and  there  is  just  as  much  asphalt 
there  now  as  there  was  in  the  beginning. 

Then,  there  is  lots  of  timber  of  choice  varieties 
here,  mahogany,  ebony,  lignum  vitae  and  others,  and 
enough  sugar  is  produced  to  sweeten  the  world,  and 
bananas  enough  to  supply  all  the  Italian  fruit  standa 
in  America. 

There  are  some  things  we  missed  with  pleasure. 
For  instance,  while  we  were  at  Matanzas,  we  met  an 
American  who  had  spent  a  considerable  time  in  Cuba 
in  railway  matters.  He  had  with  him  two  snake 

85 


CUBA    THE    BEAUTIFUL 

skins  which  had  been  cured,  and  he  was  bringing 
them  home.  One  skin  was  from  eight  to  ten  inches 
in  width  and  about  twelve  feet  long,  only  the  back 
and  sides  were  preserved,  and  the  head  and  a  con- 
siderable length  of  the  tail  were  removed  before  cur- 
ing. So  this  serpent  must  have  been  about  fifteen 
inches  in  circumference  and  nearly  twenty  feet 
long.  The  other  hide  was  not  so  large,  but  had  cov- 
ered a  snake  ten  or  twelve  feet  long  and  about  nine 
inches  in  circumference. 

The  gentleman  who  had  this  skin  had  captured 
it  under  peculiar  circumstances.  He  was  camping 
out  and  sleeping  in  a  hammock  between  two  trees. 
Along  toward  morning  he  felt  a  sort  of  "scroug- 
ing,"  which  woke  him  up,  and  on  investigat- 
ing the  matter,  found  that  he  had  the  original  owner 
of  this  skin  for  a  sleeping  companion.  He  concluded 
the  hammock  wasn't  big  enough  for  both  of  them, 
so  he  got  out  and  left  the  snake  in  the  hammock  until 
he  got  help  to  kill  it  and  make  it  yield  its  hide  for  its 
unwarranted  familiarity. 

We  also  missed  getting  the  small  pox  and  ty- 
phoid fever,  which  are  always  easy  to  contract  in 
Cuba.  We  also  missed  being  robbed  or  shot  or  get- 
ting into  jail,  which  anybody  can  get  done  to  them- 
selves in  most  any  strange  country  any  time  on  slight 

86 


OUR  DEPARTURE 

provocation,  and  especially  in  this  country,  that  has 
had  such  an  irregular  government. 

But  if  I  should  start  to  tell  about  all  we  missed 
in  Cuba,  this  series  of  letters  would  be  made  up  more 
of  what  we  did  not  Bee  than  of  what  we  did  see.  Cuba 
is  so  rich  in  her  possessions,  has  such  great  possibili- 
ties, is  so  interesting  in  many  respects  that  there  is 
hardly  a  place  to  leave  off  when  a  description  is  once 
begun.  But  we  will  close  here  and  advise  everybody 
to  go  and  see  what  we  saw  and  what  we  missed 
seeing. 

OUR   DEPARTURE. 

Ten  days  had  elapsed  since  we  landed  in  Cuba 
and  they  had  been  somewhat  strenuous  units  of  time. 
We  had  been  the  recipients  of  some  attentions  and 
courtesies  and  had  to  reluctantly  decline  some  invi- 
tations. 

One  gentleman  put  at  our  disposal  a  new  locomo- 
tive and  special  car  without  cost  to  go  into  the  in- 
terior, and  then  to  go  further,  and  fight  the  big 
snakes  in  their  lurking  places.  Another  invitation 
was  to  go  and  catch  sharks,  but  our  ship  was  lying 
at  anchor  ready  to  sail  for  Mexico,  and  we  could  not 
longer  remain  in  this  delightful  country. 

So  about  sundown  we  were  carried  by  the  tender 

87 


CUBA    THE    BEAUTIFUL 

to  the  larger  vessel.  The  United  States  army  trans- 
port lay  in  the  harbor,  a  beautiful  cream  white.  It 
had  been  to  Santiago  with  a  number  of  military  men 
and  others  to  dedicate  the  monument  that  had  been 
erected  there  to  the  memory  of  the  heroes  of  San 
Juan,  El  Caney  and  Santiago.  This  great  ship  was 
beautiful  in  contrast  with  the  many  black  hulls, 
clustered  together  around  it  in  the  harbor.  Lieut. 
General  A.  R.  Chaff ee  of  the  United  States  army,  who 
had  just  resigned  his  position  of  commander  of  all 
the  United  States  forces  and  had  retired  from  the 
army,  with  his  wife  and  daughter,  had  left  the  army 
transport  and  joined  our  ship  as  passengers  for  Vera 
Cruz. 

Nightfall  was  coming  on.  The  lights  of  the 
harbor  began  to  twinkle  one  by  one,  and  in  platoons, 
the  lights  of  the  city  and  the  surrounding  hills  were 
turned  on  and  became  stars,  not  of  the  heavens,  but 
of  the  earth.  The  outlines  of  the  houses  and  the 
streets  were  almost  lost  to  view,  the  ships  were  like 
palaces  of  fairy  land  with  their  lamps  shining  upor 
the  waters.  Little  boats  with  small  lanterns,  like  the 
light  of  fireflies,  glided  about  the  bay.  The  great 
light  of  Morro  Castle  threw  its  rays  far  out  over  and 
upon  the  waving  waters  of  the  Gulf. 

Looking  at  the  thousands  of  lights  and  cloth- 

S8 


GOOD-BYE   TO   CUBA 

ing  the  city  in  our  imagination  in  all  its  fantastic 
shapes  and  colors,  the  scene  was  grand  and  glorious 
beyond  description,  and  our  departure  from  Cuba 
with  all  its  recollections  was  more  enchanting  than 
our  entry  thereto. 

Just  as  our  ship  headed  toward  the  open  waters 
the  most  entrancing  music  fell  upon  our  ears.  It 
was  the  Marine  Band  on  the  United  States  transport 
rendering  a  last  tribute  to  our  fellow  traveler,  the 
great  military  hero,  on  his  final  separation  from  his 
comrades  with  whom  he  had  served  so  many  years. 

Every  voice  on  the  boat  for  the  time  was  still 
and  every  soul  was  lifted  to  a  higher  plane  as  the  de- 
parting tourists  recognized  the  strains  of  our  great 
National  anthem,  "The  Stars  and  Stripes — Our  Flag 
is  Still  There, ' '  and  then  as  that  tune  died  away  and 
the  band  played  "In  the  Days  of  Auld  Lang  Syne," 
I  think  there  may  have  been  some  tears  wiped  away 
by  the  more  tender  hearted.  Then  darkness  was 
around  us,  the  throb  of  the  machinery  sent  a  tremor 
through  our  boat,  we  were  out  on  the  great  ocean. 
We  had  bid  good-bye  to  Cuba  and  were  off  for 
Mesico. 


89 


The  Fifth  Letter. 


ACROSS    THE    GULF. 

Our  trip  to  Mexico  was,  perhaps,  a  greater  sur- 
prise to  ourselves  than  to  anyone  who  may  have  the 
patience  to  read  about  it.  We  had  intended  after 
visiting  Havana  and  tracking  over  a  part  of  Cuba, 
to  take  a  steamer  to  Porto  Rico,  Jamaica,  and  others 
of  the  neighboring  islands. 

But  the  steamer  that  made  the  most  complete 
trip  from  Havana  had  left  the  day  before  our  arrival 
and  as  no  other  boats  seemed  to  be  going  just  the 
way  and  the  time  that  suited  us,  the  question  re- 
solved itself  into  whether  we  should  go  to  Jamaica 
only  or  Mexico,  so  after  a  council  and  a  counting  up 
of  what  cash  we  had  left  to  see  if  we  could  cover 
the  trip,  we  concluded  that  it  should  be  Mexico. 
It  was  one  thing  to  decide  to  go  to  Mexico  and  en- 
tirely another  thing  to  get  there.  The  steamer  starts 
from  New  York  city  and  only  stops  incidentally,  and 

90 


EMBARKING  FOR  MEXICO 

you  cannot  secure  accommodations  until  after  its  ar- 
rival, and  not  always  then.  So  after  waiting  several 
days  for  the  steamer  to  arrive,  we  were  told  that  we 
could  not  be  given  either  rooms  or  even  a  room. 

There  were  six  of  us  by  this  time,  all  from  Illi- 
nois, who  had  drifted  together  in  the  way  of  travel 
and  we  were  determined  to  go. 

We  offered  to  subsidize  the  agent,  bulldoze  the 
captain,  or  buy  the  ship.  We  were  so  deadly  in 
earnest  and  seemed  to  have  so  much  money  that  a 
compromise  was  finally  effected. 

Passengers  who  had  been  assigned  one  room 
were  shifted  to  another.  New  assignments  were 
made.  The  captain  offered  to  give  up  his  quarters 
and  sleep  on  a  board,  and  we  were  all  finally 
arranged  for  with  several  excellent  staterooms, 
while  the  most  prominent  couple  were  assigned  to 
the  captain's  headquarters,  which  are  by  far  the 
biggest  and  best  thing  on  the  boat. 

We  were  ensconced  on  the  staunch  ship  the 
Vigilancia,  of  the  Ward  line,  New  York,  four  thou- 
sand, one  hundred  and  fifteen  tons  burden,  and  in 
the  kind  care  of  the  captain. 

The  captain  is  a  jolly  good  fellow.  He  weighs 
about  two  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  and  measures 
nearly  as  much  from  larboard  to  starboard  as  he  does 

91 


ACROSS   THE    GULF 

from  the  top  of  his  head  to  the  soles  of  his  feet.  He 
wears  a  jaunty  blue  uniform  when  he  leaves  New 
York,  which  he  changes  in  this  latitude  to  a  suit  of 
lovely  white  duck  with  brass  buttons ;  above  all  sits 
his  gold-trimmed  cap  of  authority.  He  is  of  ruddy 
complexion  with  a  sandy  mustache  and  a  counten- 
ance overrunning  with  good  nature,  covering  a  look 
of  solid  determination,  and  evidences  of  business 
ability.  His  hair  is  of  light  color,  and  placed  so  on 
his  head  that  a  barber  could  trim  all  of  it  very 
nicely  without  the  necessity  of  removing  his  cap, 
which  he  always  wears  when  on  duty. 

You  might  suppose  that  a  trip  across  a  good  part 
of  the  gulf,  commencing  at  Havana  Monday  evening 
at  sundown  and  ending  at  Vera  Cruz  Friday  morning 
after  sunup,  would  be  a  long  and  tedious  and  tire- 
some trip;  but  when  you  come  to  make  it  you  find 
the  days  too  short  to  cover  what  you  have  to  do  and 
what  there  is  to  see. 

It  takes  a  good  part  of  every  day  to  eat.  There 
are  five  meals  in  all.  Light  breakfast,  6 :30  to  8 :30  a. 
m.;  regular  breakfast,  11:00  a.  m.  to  1:00  p.  m.; 
lunch,  3:00  to  4:00  p.  m.;  dinner,  5:30  to  7:30  p.  m.; 
and  supper,  9:00  to  10:00  p.  m.  Now,  by  the  time 
you  wash  your  hands  for  each  one  of  these  meals, 
wash  your  face  for  about  every  other  one,  and  change 

92 


FLYING  FISH 

your  clothing  once  or  twice  to  appear  in  proper  shape 
for  the  proper  meal,  and  then  eat  the  meals,  take  a 
little  nap  in  the  day  time  between  meals  for  rest, 
take  a  few  laps  of  promenade  around  the  deck  to 
be  ready  for  the  next  meal,  shave  up  to  look  as 
well  as  the  minority  and  take  a  salt  sea  water  bath 
to  cool  yourself  off — then  each  day  is  a  busy  season 
and  old  glory  is  setting  in  the  western  sea  altogether 
too  soon  after  his  rising  from  the  eastern  brine. 

Then  there  are  the  flying  fish  which  are  always 
a  matter  of  interest,  although  their  movement  could 
hardly  be  classed  as  flying.  It  appears  that  they  have 
elongated  fins  that  serve  as  wings.  The  fish  dart 
through  the  water  rapidly  and,  rising  a  few  feet  from 
the  surface,  are  in  the  air  a  few  seconds,  going  per- 
haps  seventy-five  feet,  when  they  strike  the  surface 
as  a  skipping  stone  when  hurled  along  the  water. 
After  making  one  or  two  skips  they  then  disappear 
until  the  next  effort. 

Then  there  are  concerts  and  entertainments  of 
every  sort  in  a  free-for-all  style,  where  any  person 
who  has  the  ability  to  entertain  is  welcome  to  come 
in,  and  usually  the  fellow  who  can  entertain  the 
least  "butts  in"  the  most  often. 

When  the  ship  lay  in  front  of  Progresso,  Yuca- 
tan, the  crew  and  passengers  joined  in  fishing  for 

93 


ACROSS   THE   GULF 

sharks,  and  one  of  the  engineers  caught  a  monster 
measuring  twelve  feet  in  length  and  weighing  several 
hundred  pounds. 

There  were  quite  a  number  of  cattle  brought 
from  New  York  on  the  ship  and  unloaded  at  Pro- 
gresso.  They  are  raised  from  the  hold  of  the  vessel 
by  placing  a  big  band  around  them,  to  which  ropes 
are  attached  with  which  a  steam  derrick  lifts 
them  from  the  ship  and  lowers  them  into  the  lighter 
which  is  bobbing  up  and  down  on  the  waves  receiv- 
ing the  freight. 

It  seems  strange  to  me  that  cattle  should  be 
brought  from  New  York  to  this  country,  when  it 
would  appear  that  they  could  be  brought  from  the 
central  western  states  so  much  quicker  and  so  much 
better. 

There  were  some  Mexican  card  players  on  board 
that  always  attracted  attention.  They  played  a  pretty 
stiff  game. 

So  with  all  these  things  to  do  and  see  the  days 
are  gone  too  quickly  and  a  five  days'  trip  is  ended 
all  too  soon. 

YUCATAN. 

On  the  trip  across  the  gulf,  the  steamer  stops  off 
the  north  shore  of  Yucatan,  opposite  a  little  town 

94 


YUCATAN    STATE 

called  Progresso.  There  is  no  harbor  at  Progress© 
and  the  water  is  so  shallow  that  boats  the  size  of  the 
one  on  which  we  traveled  cannot  come  closer  than 
three  miles  to  the  shore.  This  one  lay  at  anchor  all 
day  while  the  freight  for  this  country  was  trans- 
ferred to  lighters  or  barges  and  conveyed  to  shore. 
We  availed  ourselves  of  the  opportunity  to  visit  a 
country  which  is  so  interesting,  and  of  which  we, 
and  we  assume  our  readers,  know  so  little. 

We  were  surprised  beyond  measure  at  the  rich- 
ness of  the  country,  and  found  a  town  of  which  we 
are  free  to  confess  we  had  hardly  ever  heard, 
that  is  certainly  one  of  the  most  remarkable  towns  or 
cities  to  be  found  any  place. 

After  being  buffeted  by  the  waves  on  a  little  tug 
we  were  landed  on  a  long  pier  alongside  of  which  a 
number  of  smaller  craft  were  loading  and  unloading. 
Passing  through  a  great  warehouse  we  came  to  a 
very  considerable  railway  station  and  a  train  stand- 
ing ready  to  speed  into  the  interior. 

The  train  was  composed  of  old  style  small  pass- 
enger coaches  to  which  was  attached  a  parlor  car 
of  very  respectable  dimensions,  seated  with  easy 
willow-wicker  chairs.  The  car  was  about  as  large  as 
a  good  sized  interurban  car  and  was  as  comfortable 
and  as  clean  as  could  be  desired. 

95 


ACROSS  THE  GULF 

The  conductor  in  charge  was  a  man  of  gentle- 
manly appearance,  in  a  neat  blue  uniform. 

But  the  train  man,  or  what  we  would  call  brake- 
man,  who  occupied  the  back  platform,  was  of  a  type 
peculiar  to  this  country,  and  would  look  very  odd  on 
any  train  in  the  United  States.  He  was  a  "stocky" 
built  Indian,  probably  five  feet  and  six  inches  or  less 
in  height.  He  wore  a  faint  blue  striped  linen  coat, 
thin  white  trousers,  a  well-built  broad-brimmed, 
high-crown  felt  hat,  and  had  on  his  feet  a  pair  of 
sandals,  that  is,  a  fiat  sole  of  leather,  the  great  toe 
passing  through  a  loop  and  a  narrow  thong  passing 
over  above  the  instep,  his  feet  otherwise  being  per- 
fectly bare,  and  you  could  have  counted  every  toe 
he  had  if  you  cared  to  take  the  trouble ;  but  then  he 
was  alert  and  attended  strictly  to  business  and  that 
after  all  is  the  main  thing  in  a  railroad  man. 

We  had  been  told  that  Merida,  about  twenty-five 
miles  inland  from  Progresso,  where  we  had  landed, 
was  a  remarkably  nice  town  and  we  bought  tickets 
to  that  place. 

For  a  few  miles  we  sped  along  at  a  very  fair  rate 
of  speed,  through  a  swampy  coral  country,  where 
the  land  is  raised  only  a  little  above  the  water  level 
and  is  a  dismal  waste  of  stone  scantily  covered  with 
small  brush,  scattered  among  which  are  a  number  of 

96 


HENNEQUIN   PLANTS 

great  cactus  plants  with  spreading  branches,  verit- 
able trees,  twelve  to  twenty  feet  in  height. 

Then  we  came  to  the  lands  that  have  made  this 
particular  spot  one  of  the  richest  places  on  the  face 
of  the  globe. 

The  so-called  hemp  fields,  which  appear  to  be 
none  other  than  great  farms  of  what  are  known  here 
as  hennequin,  in  our  country  as  century  plants,  lie 
before  us.  Not  in  lots  or  patches,  nor  even  in  acre- 
pieces,  but  in  sections  and  townships,  as  far  as  the 
eye  can  reach,  like  the  great  fields  of  corn  in  the 
western  states. 

The  fields  are  well  cultivated.  The  plants  are 
placed  in  straight  rows  about  eight  or  ten  feet  apart 
and  a  great  field  of  them  presents  a  peculiar  and 
beautiful  sight.  These  farms  are  enclosed  with  well- 
laid  stone  fences,  and  every  one  has  big  gates  with 
solid  concrete  or  stone  pillars,  two  or  more  feet 
square,  on  each  side  of  the  gate. 

Narrow  track  railroads  on  which  mules  haul 
little  cars  loaded  with  the  leaves  or  arms  of  the 
plants  when  cut  off,  lead  out  from  each  farm  to  a 
main  line  paralleling  the  railroad,  which  leads  to 
the  city. 

The  water  supply  along  the  way  is  furnished  by 
pumps  operated  by  windmills.  They  are  the  regu- 

97 
—7 


ACROSS   THE    GULF 

lar  American  type,  such  as  seen  in  the  United  States, 
and  the  large  number  of  them  in  the  country  and 
the  towns  gives  a  lively  aspect  to  the  scene. 

MERIDA,   THE    CITY    BEAUTIFUL. 

In  the  course  of  about  forty  minutes  we  arrived 
at  Merida,  and  we  were  surprised  beyond  measure 
to  find  such  a  town  as  lay  here  before  us. 

It  is  said  to  be  the  richest  town  of  its  size  on  the 
face  of  the  earth,  having  a  population  of  sixty-five 
thousand.  It  has  sixty-five  men  said  to  be  worth 
over  one  million  dollars  each,  several  being  multi- 
millionaires. 

It  is  the  best  paved  town  I  have  ever  seen,  and  I 
think  the  sidewalks  are  the  most  uniform  in  appear- 
ance and  in  the  best  condition  of  any  city  in  any 
country.  The  streets  are  about  forty  feet  wide  be- 
tween the  buildings  with  about  a  thirty  foot  drive- 
way in  the  center  and  a  sidewalk  of  five  feet  in 
width  on  each  side  of  the  street. 

.Great  arches,  of  which  there  were  a  dozen  or 
more,  and  columns,  of  which  there  were  several, 
made  of  a  frame  work  covered  with  canvas  and 
painted  to  represent  marble,  onyx,  or  other  kind  of 
stones  stood  at  all  the  important  corners,  and  beauti- 
ful parks  and  plazas  with  numerous  tropical  plants 
were  found  in  many  places. 

98 


MEEIDA— IN  YUCATAN 

Every  house  in  the  city  was  so  newly  painted 
that  they  all  appeared  to  have  been  finished  on  the 
day  of  our  arrival. 

There  are  good  stores,  handling  all  classes  of 
goods,  and  a  market  house  that  occupies  an  entire 
block.  One  hardware  store,  in  which  we  took  refuge 
during  a  shower,  occupies  a  building  of  sixty  or 
eighty  feet  front,  of  modern  construction,  three 
stories  high  and  was  stocked  full  to  overflowing  with 
all  kinds  of  goods  in  its  line. 

The  streets  were  full  of  vehicles,  the  most  con- 
spicuous being  the  public  hacks,  which  are  a  pe- 
culiar vehicle  and  are  all  exactly  alike.  They  are 
sort  of  a  cross  between  a  station  wagon  and  a  storm 
buggy.  The  floor  is  of  polished  sheet  brass,  and  the 
dash-board  is  also  made  or  covered  with  the  same 
material.  They  are  painted  blue  or  green  on  the 
outside  and  striped  with  yellow.  They  are  intended 
for  two  persons,  ordinarily,  besides  the  driver,  but 
they  have  a  small  folding  seat  that  will  accommo- 
date one  or  two  more  persons  if  necessary.  I  do  not 
know  how  many  there  are  of  these  odd  vehicles  in 
this  city.  There  seems  to  be  a  thousand.  I  noticed 
the  one  we  rode  in  was  numbered  540. 

Then,  there  is  a  narrow  gauge  street  car  line  on 
which  the  cars  are  drawn  by  mules. 

99 


ACROSS  THE  GULF 

There  are  broad  gauge  carts  drawn  by  three 
mules,  driven  side  by  side,  and  then  the  team  is  nar- 
rower then  the  cart  itself. 

There  were  several  small  automobile  runabouts 
in  motion  and,  finally,  I  was  more  than  surprised  to 
see  a  huge  automobile  delivery  cart  or  truck,  such  as 
they  use  in  Chicago,  distributing  boxes  of  merchan- 
dise around  the  city  to  the  stores. 

There  are  several  kinds  of  men  and  women  here, 
from  the  highest  class  of  Spaniards  to  the  lowest 
class  Indians  or  peons,  and  the  clothing  is  as  varied 
as  the  people. 

There  are  finely  dressed  women  ornamented 
with  sparkling  gems,  and  there  are  high  class 
dressers  among  the  men.  But  the  ordinary  laborers 
and  market  women  are  more  remarkable  for  the 
clothing  they  do  not  wear  than  for  what  they  do 
wear.  The  men  wear  thin  gauze  undershirts  and  a 
pair  of  muslin  or  very  thin  linen  trousers,  the 
trousers  usually  rolled  up  above  the  knees;  they 
wear  no  underclothes,  no  stockings  and  no  shoes, 
and  their  bare  legs  and  feet  are  about  the  color  of 
and  look  as  solid  as  bronze  castings.  Some  of  them 
wear  an  apron  similar  to  restaurant  waiters  and  they 
cover  their  heads  with  large  sombreros.  The  lower 
class  women  and  those  around  the  markets  display 

100 


PECULIAR  AND   WEALTHY   CITY 

exceedingly  limited  wardrobes  in  public.  They 
seem  to  wear  only  two  garments,  one  is  what  the 
ladies  call  a  chemise  and  the  other  is  about  the  same 
thing,  a  little  shorter,  the  shorter  one  being  worn 
on  the  outside  with  a  strip  of  cotton  cloth  printed  in 
gay  colors  around  the  bottom  and  a  similar  border 
around  the  square  cut  low  neck. 

There  are  a  number  of  very  fine  residences,  some 
might  be  called  palaces,  and  some  mud  or  adobe 
houses.  The  streets  are  of  vitrified  brick  and  as- 
phalt. The  sidewalks  are  of  cement  and  all  of  the 
same  pattern.  It  is  a  most  remarkable  city.  Be- 
side the  palace  stands  the  mud  hovel,  with  thatched 
roof,  but  all  with  stone  fences  and  all  clean  and 
newly  painted. 

Of  course  this  peculiar  and  wealthy  place  natu- 
rally led  to  some  inestigation.  I  found  that,  while 
this  town  had  been  located  here  for  long  years,  until 
a  few  years  ago  it  had  been  like  all  other  Mexican 
cities ;  muddy  in  wet  weather,  dusty  in  dry  weather 
and  dirty  at  all  times ;  that  the  awakening  had  come 
about  through  the  appointment  or  the  election  of  a 
new  governor.  The  governor  down  here  is  the 
whole  thing,  he  is  not  hampered  with  the  constitution 
or  the  laws,  or  if  he  is  they  sit  very  lightly  upon 
him. 

101 


ACROSS  THE  GULF 

Governor  Montinio  became  governor  of  this  state 
about  six  years  ago,  to  administer  the  affairs  of  a 
rich  and  prosperous  people,  the  great  source  of 
wealth  being  the  hennequin  or  century  plant  farms 
alluded  to  before  in  this  article.  He  found  a  misera- 
ble, dirty  and  disgraceful  city  full  of  rich  people  who 
were  growing  richer  and  with  no  decent  surround- 
ings to  live  in. 

He  determined  that  things  could  and  should  be 
changed.  He  donated  two  years  of  his  salary  to 
start  the  work.  As  hennequin,  or  the  fibre  from  the 
century  plant,  was  the  great  source  of  wealth,  and 
as  there  was  a  big  profit  in  this  fibre,  it  should  pay 
for  the  making  of  the  city  beautiful.  So  he  laid  a 
tax  of  a  certain  amount  on  every  bale  of  fibre  pro- 
duced. I  do  not  know  what  other  methods  he  pur- 
sued to  raise  the  revenue,  but  he  secured  a  great 
amount  and  commenced  the  work  of  Improvement. 

In  addition  to  making  it  one  of  the  best 
paved  cities  in  the  world,  he  has  built  a  great  college, 
a  large  hospital,  a  fine  municipal  building,  a  thea- 
tre, a  system  of  waterworks  and  sewers,  and  has 
added  beautiful  parks  and  drives. 

Merida  had  just  enjoyed  a  visit  from  President 
Diaz,  and  the  arches  alluded  to  above  were  erected 
in  honor  of  his  visit.  The  citizens  raised  a  purse  for 

102 


RECEPTION  TO  DIAZ 

his  entertainment  while  he  was  here,  of  the  modest 
sum  of  eight  hundred  thousand  dollars,  and  in  ad- 
dition to  this,  he  was  the  recipient  of  lavish  entertain- 
ment by  private  individuals — one  rich  planter  ex- 
pending on  his  dinner,  souvenirs,  etc.,  something  over 
two  hundred  thousand  dollars. 

But  I  almost  forgot  about  the  new  paint  on  the 
houses.  When  the  president  was  to  come  to  town 
the  governor  sent  out  word  to  every  house  owner 
that  he  must  paint  his  house  or  be  fined  two  or  three 
hundred  dollars.  So  every  house  in  the  city  had 
just  been  painted,  which  gave  the  town  the  remarka- 
ble new  appearance  that  it  presented  at  this  time. 

We  left  Merida  richer  than  we  found  it,  as  the 
ship  which  brought  us  down  also  brought  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  thousand  dollars  in  gold  for  this  al- 
ready rich  city. 


103 


The  Sixth  Letter. 


THE  TRUE  CROSS. 

When  I  left  off  on  the  last  instalment  of  this 
story,  as  I  remember  it,  we  were  on  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico,  two  or  three  hundred  miles  from  shore, 
headed  toward  the  city  of  the  "True  Cross,"  Vera 
Cruz;  or  as  Cortez  named  the  place  when  he  laid  it 
out,  "Villa  Rica  de  la  Santa  Vera  Cruz,"  meaning 
The  Rich  City  of  the  Holy  Cross. 

When  a  ship  lands  at  the  destination  of  its  jour- 
ney and  the  passengers  separate,  it  is  like  the  break- 
ing up  of  a  large  family,  and  so  it  was  at  this  time. 
On  the  arrival  at  Vera  Cruz  we  all  went  our  several 
ways,  some  to  journey  on  together,  some  never  to 
meet  again,  others  to  meet  in  the  most  unexpected 
places. 

On  the  steamer  there  was  one  woman  with  a 
little  boy.  They  were  both  sad  faced  and  visibly 
worried.  She  had  come  on  a  long  search  for  a 

104 


LANDING  AT  VERA  CRUZ 

recreant  husband  who  had  deserted  her  and  fled  to 
some  foreign  land,  and  she  was  tracking  him  to  the 
ends  of  the  earth.  I  doubt  whether  she  knew  where 
he  was  or  where  she  was  going  or  when  she  would 
stop.  Others  on  the  steamer  were  returning  to  their 
homes  after  long  periods  of  absence  and  their  friends 
were  on  the  landing  to  meet  them  and  embrace  them 
and  shed  tears  of  joy  with  them,  for  great  joys,  like 
great  sorrows,  seem  to  let  loose  the  floodgate  of  our 
tears. 

We  separated  from  some  with  reluctance.  It  is 
strange  when  far  from  home  and  home  folks  in  a 
foreign  country  how  strong  attachments  you  can 
make  with  congenial  spirits  that  you  have  been  with 
only  for  a  few  days,  and  how  afterwards,  if  you 
chance  to  meet  these  same  people,  you  meet  them  as 
old  friends. 

As  we  neared  the  land  shortly  after  daybreak 
there  was  a  thick  murky  fog  lying  upon  the  waters 
so  that  the  landing  had  to  be  made  with  great  care. 
Even  the  outlines  of  the  seawalls  and  the  docks  could 
not  be  distinguished  except  at  a  very  short  distance. 
But,  as  our  steamer  hauled  up  abreast  of  the  stone 
dock,  the  fog  lifted,  the  sun  shone  out  gloriously, 
and  the  city  with  its  light  grey  buildings,  cathedrals, 
minarets  and  towers,  showed  to  its  best  advantage. 

105 


MEXICO   THE   WONDERFUL 

And  it  was  well  that  it  should  be  so,  for  I  am 
certain  that  the  fine  impression  one  gets  of  Vera  Cruz 
as  he  sails  into  the  harbor  is  the  only  good  impression 
he  ever  gets  or  has  of  this  city,  then  or  afterwards, 
and  it  is  well  to  get  the  best  impression  first. 

This  old  city  is  said  to  have  the  best  constructed 
artificial  harbor  on  the  western  hemisphere.  There 
a  new  custom  house  is  being  constructed,  which  is  a 
handsome  building.  I  was  informed  that  a  good 
system  of  waterworks  has  been  put  in  and  that  a  sys- 
tem of  sewerage  has  been  commenced.  I  am  willing 
to  give  due  credit  for  these,  burt  if  there  is  any  other 
redeeming  feature  left  to  name,  I  did  not  discover 
it. 

I  left  there  after  a  short  stay,  with  the  im- 
pression that  Vera  Cruz  was  the  most  dismal  and 
melancholy  place  I  had  ever  visited.  I  cannot  ac- 
count for  the  evidences  of  neglect  that  one  encoun- 
ters on  every  hand,  or  why  with  all  the  apparent 
advantages  the  place  seems  to  possess,  it  should 
remain  in  its  deplorable  condition  which  has  been  as 
it  now  is,  or  with  little  or  no  change,  for  many 
years. 

It  has  a  nice  location  at  the  foot  of  a  long  slope 
of  hills  that  gradually  rise  to  snow  clad  mountains. 
It  also  lies  on  the  shore  above  sea  level.  These  two 

106 


VERA   CRUZ 

advantages  make  it  possible  to  have  good  water  and 
good  drainage,  the  two  greatest  factors  in  making 
any  place  beautiful  and  healthy,  and  yet  for  all  the 
years  in  the  long  past  it  has  been  a  municipal  ulcer, 
a  festering  place  of  contagion,  a  hot-bed  of  disease, 
and  the  great  breeding  and  distributing  place  for  the 
fatal  yellow  fever  to  all  parts  of  the  world. 

Its  streets  are  poorly  paved  with  rough  cobble 
stones  or  not  paved  at  all.  Its  sidewalks  are  narrow 
and  irregular.  In  place  of  sewers,  gutters  full  of 
sickening  sewage  course  sluggishly  down  through 
the  center  of  the  streets.  It  has  a  woeful  system  of 
street  cars  and  no  hacks  or  public  conveyances  of 
any  kind.  The  streets  and  plazas  are  infested  with 
beggars,  and  if  there  has  been  a  new  building  con- 
structed during  the  past  one  hundred  years,  there  is 
little  evidence  of  the  fact  in  the  appearance  of  the 
architecture.  Everything  is  old,  dilapidated  and 
worn  out,  and  to  make  the  surroundings  more  dis- 
mal, thousands  of  buzzards  fill  the  air.  They  circle 
over  the  city,  rest  on  the  houses,  and  even  on  the 
domes  and  spires  of  cathedrals  and  public  buildings. 
They  befoul  the  roofs  and  gorge  themselves  on  the 
filth  of  the  streets.  They  are  the  last  overwhelming 
indication  of  neglect  and  decay,  and  give  an  already 
melancholy  picture  a  wide,  black,  dismal  border. 

107 


MEXICO   THE   WONDERFUL 

Verily,  Vera  Cruz  is  the  "True  Cross"  and  we  felt 
as  though  we  were  nailed  thereon  every  hour  we 
were  in  the  city. 

Vera  Cruz  was  the  first  settlement  in  the  new 
world.  It  has  been  the  principal  seaport  of  the 
great  republic  of  Mexico  for  nearly  four  hundred 
years  .and  should  have  four  hundred  thousand  popu- 
lation, while  it  has  only  about  thirty  thousand.  It 
is  strange  that  any  city  should  have  so  neglected  its 
opportunities.  But  here  it  stands,  a  warning  to  all 
filthy  and  nonprogressive  communities,  neglected  by 
its  own  people  and  shunned  by  strangers,  and  be- 
ing left  behind  in  the  race  of  time. 

It  has  had  a  discouraging  past,  but  there  is  still 
a  chance  for  it  to  have  a  better  and  greater  future. 
Will  it  avail  itself  of  its  opportunities?  Time  alone 
will  tell. 

Cortez  landed  here  in  1519  and  some  of  the 
churches  were  founded  as  far  back  as  1568,  and  they 
look  as  though  they  were  built  in  that  year.  It  was 
controlled  by  Spain  as  was  this  whole  country  until 
the  early  years  of  the  century  just  past,  since  which 
time  it  has  been  occupied  by  the  French  and  Ameri- 
cans, and  the  allied  forces  of  the  French,  English 
and  Spanish.  It  was  in  1847  that  Gen.  Winfield 
Scott  of  the  United  States  came  knocking  at  its 

108 


ORIZABA 

doors  and  after  five  days'  pounding  with  his  mortars 
and  siege  guns  the  city  capitulated.  After  Scott 
had  bombarded  the  city  from  the  gulf,  he  landed  his 
siege  guns,  drew  them  around  to  the  back  of  the  city 
and  bombarded  it  from  the  rear.  When  the  white 
flag  was  sent  up  Scott  compelled  them  to  bring  the 
keys  up  to  him.  He  would  not  take  chances  on  yel- 
low fever  for  his  army.  He  accepted  the  surrender 
and  then  marched  on  to  the  City  of  Mexico  without 
ever  entering  Vera  Cruz. 

We  tarried  as  short  a  time  as  we  could  in  Vera 
Cruz  and  passed  without  reluctance  up  the  railroad 
to  Orizaba,  a  quaint  old  town  way  up  in  the  moun- 
tains. The  valley  leading  thereto  is  a  rich  valley, 
which  produces  in  the  way  of  agriculture  and  horti- 
culture almost  every  plant  or  tree  known,  many  of 
which  are  not  known  in  the  more  northern  country. 
We  did  not  stop  very  long  in  Orizaba,  for1  besides  its 
waterfalls  and  beautiful  scenery  the  greatest  thing 
to  be  seen  here  is  a  big  gambling  den.  Such  things 
can  be  seen  some  places  in  the  United  States. 

THE    NUMBER   THIRTEEN   CLUB. 

When  we  reached  Orizaba  we  met  a  party  of 
New  York  and  Pennsylvania  folks  who  were  touring 
Mexico,  under  the  direction  of  a  gentleman  from 

109 


MEXICO   THE   WONDERFUL 

Philadelphia.  They  were  then  going  to  the  southern 
part  of  Mexico.  They  had  their  special  coaches  and 
were  well  equipped  for  a  pleasant  trip  and  invited 
us  to  go  with  them.  As  they  were  a  very  pleasant 
lot  of  people  and  were  going  to  a  part  of  the  country 
which  we  wanted  to  visit,  and  the  expense  of  going 
with  them  would  be  less  than  going  alone,  we 
gladly  accepted  the  invitation  and  joined  the  party 
for  a  week. 

There  were  eleven  people  in  the  party  when  we 
found  them  and  the  addition  of  the  writer  and  his 
wife  brought  out  the  curious  incident  that  was  not 
discovered  until  the  first  table  was  reached  that  the 
party  as  now  constituted  numbered  just  thirteen. 
So  we  organized  ourselves  into  a  "number  thirteen 
club."  This  perhaps  sent  a  cold  shiver  down  the 
backs  of  some  of  the  superstitious,  but  it  did  not 
bother  your  humble  servant  very  much,  as  he  has  had 
some  experience  with  this  so-called  unlucky  number 
and  has  lived  through  it. 

It  is  a  secret  that  I  have  long  guarded,  but  I  will 
confess  now  that  this  number  has  always  been  with 
me.  I  was  born  on  the  thirteenth  of  the  month  and 
was  number  thirteen  of  a  very  large  family.  I  lived 
on  a  farm  place  until  I  was  thirteen  years  old  and 
then  worked  as  an  apprentice  or  journeyman  for  thir- 

110 


THE    "THIRTEEN"    CLUB 

teen  years  until  I  secured  a  proprietary  interest  in  a 
business. 

Take  this  whole  trip.  When  I  went  onto  the 
steamer  on  the  gulf  I  was  awarded  seat  number 
forty  at  the  table  and  given  a  napkin  ring  number 
thirteen.  I  asked  the  attendant  why  he  gave  me  a 
napkin  ring  number  thirteen,  when  I  occupied  seat 
number  forty.  He  said:  "It's  this  way.  The  ring 
number  forty  was  stolen  or  lost,  and  as  we  never 
had  a  seat  number  thirteen  we  had  that  ring  left 
over,  so  we  use  it  for  number  forty.  See?" 

As  stated  before,  our  addition  swelled  this  party 
to  the  so-called  unlucky  number.  I  then  sent  a  tele- 
gram to  the  states.  After  much  scratching  to  save 
all  the  words  that  I  could,  as  it  cost  thirty-six  cents  a 
word,  the  operator  said  there  were  just  thirteen 
words  left  to  pay  for.  Then  at  the  first  hotel  we 
reached  the  clerk  assigned  the  rooms  and  gave  me 
room  number  thirteen,  and  the  railroad  trip  next  day 
took  us  just  thirteen  hours. 

When  we  reached  the  hotel  that  night  the  clerk 
could  not  give  me  room  thirteen  as  a  superstitious 
idiot  who  had  been  a  little  ahead  of  us  would  not 
sleep  in  the  room  until  somebody  got  up  and 
scratched  the  number  off,  so  the  scratched  marks  are 
the  only  thing  left  to  designate  room  thirteen  in  that 

111 


MEXICO   THE   WONDERFUL 

hotel.  The  next  day  we  had  a  long  drive  into  the 
country  among  the  mountains,  and  I  had  the  fortune 
of  being  assigned  a  time-worn  hack  that  had  been 
many  years  in  service  without  any  new  paint  any 
place  except  on  each  side,  and  that  paint  had  been 
used  to  emblazon  on  that  old  hack  the  magic  number 
"thirteen." 

When  we  got  to  Mexico  the  first  funeral  car  we 
encountered  came  down  the  track  with  two  trailers 
loaded  with  corpses  enclosed  in  coffins  in  all  sizes 
and  in  several  colors  and  the  number  of  that  car  was 
thirteen,  and  the  first  time  I  took  a  bath  in  Mexico 
I  was  given  room  thirteen  in  the  bath  house. 

And  so  I  could  go  on  indefinitely,  but  notwith- 
standing my  experiences  with  thirteen  I  can  say  as 
did  the  great  Daniel  Webster,  "I  still  live." 

Our  trip  with  the  "thirteen  club"  led  through 
the  valley  covered  by  the  Mexican  railway  which 
runs  between  Vera  Cruz  and  Mexico  City,  then  down 
the  route  on  the  Mexican  Southern  Railway  to  the 
city  of  Oaxaca,  and  thence  by  stage  to  the  old  ruins 
of  Mitla,  and  it  was  a  very  interesting  trip  all  the 
way  along. 

FLOWERS  AND  SNOW. 

Starting  at  Orizaba  one  warm  morning,  notwith- 
112 


FLOWERS   AND    SNOW 

standing  it  was  the  24th  day  of  February,  we  w«re 
on  a  train  where  men  wore  linen  suits  and  straw 
hats,  while  nearly  all  those,  both  men  and  women, 
around  the  depots  and  some  on  the  train  were  bare- 
footed. We  were  surrounded  with  the  greenest  of 
foliage.  As  the  conductor  howled  out  some  unknown 
sound,  meaning  all  aboard,  a  friend  we  left  behind 
hurriedly  handed  to  us  through  the  windows  great 
bouquets  of  jessamines  and  violets,  filling  the  car 
with  happiness,  beauty  and  fragrance. 

Back  of  the  city  as  a  contrast  to  the  summer 
scenes  here  mentioned  stood  in  full  view  the  great 
peak  of  Mount  Orizaba,  the  highest  point  on  the 
American  continent,  covered  with  its  mantle  of 
whitest  snow  that  never  departs,  but  is  as  near 
eternal  as  the  mountains  themselves. 

As  we  left  Orizaba  we  were  carried  upward  on 
a  piece  of  railway  that  for  daring  in  surveying  and 
building  has  few  equals  upon  the  face  of  the  globe. 
It  twists  and  curls  among  the  mountains  as  might 
the  long  body  of  a  great  serpent.  The  train  some- 
times roars  through  deep  cuts  or  dark  tunnels  and 
then  the  next  instant,  as  it  emerges  into  clear  air,  is 
hanging  on  the  side  of  the  mountain  with  cliffs  rising 
far  above  on  one  side  and  with  a  sheer  descent  al- 
most perpendicular  to  the  valley  below,  one  thou- 

113 


MEXICO   THE   WONDERFUL 

sand  five  hundred  to  two  thousand  feet;  the  road 
goes  higher  and  higher  at  every  bend  and  every 
curve  until  it  rises  four  thousand  one  hundred  feet 
in  twenty-nine  miles.  The  mountain  scenery  in 
Mexico  is  equal  to  any  of  the  most  sublime  in  Ameri- 
ca, or,  in  fact,  in  any  part  of  the  world.  At  Maltrata, 
a  station  on  this  line,  one  can  look  down  the  val- 
ley for  a  matter  of  thirty  miles  and  see  nicely  culti- 
vated farms  way  below  him  in  all  shades  of  green 
foliage  and  gray  earth,  that  resemble  the  patches 
in  a  crazy  quilt,  while  good  sized  towns  at  a  dis- 
tance of  ten  or  twenty  miles  appear  as  little  villages 
at  less  than  half  that  distance,  and  fair  sized  moun- 
tains seem  like  low  hills. 

This  road  was  built  by  Englishmen  with  English 
capital  and  illustrates  the  dogged  determinedness  and 
courage  of  this  remarkable  branch  of  the  Caucasian 
family.  They  are  never  dismayed  by  obstacles  or 
overawed  by  seeming  impossibilities.  They  are  a 
great  people — they  make  the  great  ventures  in  com- 
mercial life  and  they  usually  win  out  where  others 
fail. 

It  was  on  this  railway  that  I  saw  the  first  steel 
railroad  ties  that  I  had  ever  seen  used.  They  are 
simply  what  would  be  called  boiler  iron  pressed  into 
the  form  of  the  upper  side  of  an  ordinary  railway  tie 

114 


MEXICAN  RAILWAY 

and  laid  beneath  the  rail  with  the  convex  side  up 
with  small  flanges  to  hold  the  rails.  There  are  other 
novel  arrangements  in  use  on  this  line.  The  coal 
used  is  a  slack  pressed  into  blocks  about  eight  inches 
square,  and  each  block  marked  patented.  The  loco- 
motives used  are  double  enders,  fired  in  the  center, 
with  steam  cylinders  at  both  the  front  and  back 
ends,  practically  two  engines  in  one.  These  are  used 
on  account  of  the  heavy  grades.  The  trains  are  run 
in  two  or  three  sections  up  the  mountains  and  you 
can  sit  in  the  first  section  and  look  across  the  valley 
and  see  the  second  section  on  the  track  over  which 
you  have  passed  going  or  coming  in  an  opposite  di- 
rection. You  can  see  a  great  valley  from  the  side  of 
the  train  and  in  another  instant  you  swing  around 
the  circle  and  look  from  the  other  side  of  the  train 
down  into  the  same  valley. 

Along  the  line  of  the  Mexican  railway  near  Vera 
Cruz  is  a  marked  evidence  of  the  great  productive- 
ness and  growing  qualities  of  the  country.  The  posts 
of  the  fence  protecting  the  right  of  way  of  this  road 
are  made  of  a  crooked  sort  of  timber,  but  nearly 
every  one  of  them  has  taken  root  and  sprouted 
branches  and  some  of  them  have  grown  into  con- 
siderable trees.  Anything  stuck  into  the  ground  in 
this  rich  valley  seems  to  grow.  Many  of  the  tele- 

115 


MEXICO   THE  WONDERFUL 

graph  poles  are  made  of  iron,  and  this  is,  perhaps, 
to  keep  them  from  growing  so  tall  that  the  wires 
could  not  be  found  among  the  branches.  Orchids 
grow  in  many  of  the  trees  and  other  plants  of  various 
kinds  settle  and  grow  upon  the  branches  until  some 
of  the  largest  trees  carry  great  clusters  of  foreign 
plants  and  vines  and  seem  to  accommodate  them- 
selves to  a  greater  load  than  the  white  man's 
burden. 

After  we  passed  out  upon  the  table  lands  above 
the  mountains  we  came  into  a  broad,  flat  valley  of 
light,  sandy  soil,  which  was  being  prepared  by  the 
people  for  the  spring  planting.  Everything  is  raised 
in  this  valley  that  the  world  seems  to  call  for.  Sugar 
and  molasses  are  produced.  Then  comes  coffee,  and 
I  think  tea,  wheat,  pepper,  allspice,  all  kinds  of  fruit, 
corn,  all  other  cereals,  etc.  The  heat  was  oppressive, 
even  like  summer,  notwithstanding  this  was  still  in 
February,  and  columns  of  sand  caught  up  by  whirl- 
winds could  be  seen  in  every  direction.  But  there 
was  a  pleasing  contrast,  for  on  the  one  side  could  be 
seen  the  crest  or  peak  of  Mount  Orizaba,  on  the 
other  the  extinct  crater  of  Popocatepetl,  each  with 
their  snow  caps  which  never  depart  either  in  sum- 
mer or  in  winter. 


116 


A  GREAT  CITY 

THE  CITY  OF  PUEBLA. 

After  a  long  ride  we  came  to  the  city  of  Puebla 
with  its  population  of  eighty  or  ninety  thousand 
people.  It  is  quite  a  city  in  many  respects.  It  is 
called  the  "City  of  Churches,"  having  one  of  the 
greatest  cathedrals  in  the  world,  besides  other 
cathedrals  or  smaller  churches  on  every  hand.  The 
clang  of  the  bells  is  heard  day  and  night.  There 
doesn't  seem  to  be  any  let  up  to  the  bell  ringing  in 
connection  with  these  churches.  They  are  rung  on 
the  slightest  provocation. 

The  great  cathedral  here  was  begun  many  years 
before,  but  was  consecrated  in  the  year  1649.  It  is 
one  of  the  great  cathedrals  of  the  world  and,  while 
not  so  large,  is  in  many  respects  finer  than  the 
cathedral  at  Mexico  City.  The  tower  alone  cost  more 
than  one  hundred  thousand  dollars,  has  eighteen 
bells,  the  largest  of  which  weighs  twenty  thousand 
pounds,  and  when  it  is  sounded  the  earth  on  which 
one  stands  vibrates  with  its  deep  tones.  The  altar 
is  made  of  onyx  and  fine  marbles  and  cost  one  hun- 
dred and  ten  thousand  dollars,  and  the  interior  deco- 
rations with  their  many  paintings  and  their  elabor- 
ately carved  frames  are  beyond  price  and  are  beyond 
description. 

117 


MEXICO   THE   WONDERFUL 

Besides  its  churches,  Puebla  is  noted  for  its 
onyx  quarries,  and  many  fine  specimens  of  onyx 
can  be  seen  in  the  churches  and  buildings,  and  for 
sale  in  the  stores. 

Some  of  the  finest  buildings  in  the  republic  are 
found  here.  This  has  always  been  a  city,  even  in  the 
days  of  the  Aztecs  before  the  Conquest.  But  it  has 
suffered  much  from  the  effects  of  war.  Within  the 
last  century  it  was  captured  by  Iturbide  in  1821, 
and  by  General  Scott  for  the  United  States  in  1847. 
It  was  captured  by  the  French  in  1863,  and  retaken 
from  them  by  Diaz,  now  president,  in  1867.  There 
are  a  great  number  of  forts  in  the  vicinity,  and  most 
of  the  churches  have  been  used  as  forts  or  barracks 
at  times. 

THE    PYRAMID   OF   CHOLULA. 

A  few  miles  distant  from  Puebla  is  the  great 
pyramid  of  Cholula.  It  rises  one  hundred  and  seven- 
ty-seven feet  above  the  level  of  the  plain  on  which  it 
is  located.  The  base  lines  are  more  than  a  thousand 
feet  on  each  side  or  more  than  twice  as  large  as  the 
great  pyramid  of  Cheops  in  Egypt.  It  covers  twenty 
acres.  The  top  is  a  square  plain  about  a  hundred 
and  sixty  feet  square  on  which  stands  a  quaint 
cathedral  or  church  with  two  domes  covered  with 
tile  and  a  tower  with  an  interior  nicely  furnished 

118 


PYRAMID   OF   CHOLULA 

It  has  stood  many  years,  and  before  it  was  built  the 
Aztecs  had  a  temple  here  which  was  destroyed  by 
Cortez.  But  if  we  ask  who  built  the  pyramid,  no 
answer  comes  back  to  us.  The  Spanish  found  it 
here  in  1529,  just  as  it  is  today,  and  the  Aztecs  found 
it  centuries  before  that,  but  no  history,  no  legend, 
no  hieroglyphics,  have  given  any  light  as  to  when  it 
was  built,  who  built  it  or  why  it  was  built.  Not  even 
the  most  learned  antiquarians  have  based  a  theory 
on  which  to  make  a  guess  as  to  its  origin,  except  that 
it  is  largely  constructed  of  adobe  brick,  which  would 
indicate  that  it  is  of  a  later  construction  than  some 
of  the  ruins  of  other  structures,  which  are  built  of 
stone  and  are  more  elaborate.  There  are  other 
similar  mounds  or  pyramids  in  .this  vicinity,  but  they 
are  not  so  large. 

The  city  of  Cholula  has  not  prospered.  Cortez 
found  a  great  city  when  he  came  here.  He  said  the 
city  had  twenty  thousand  houses,  and  he  counted 
four  hundred  and  twenty  towers  on  the  temples,  and 
no  temple  had  more  than  two  towers,  and  many  had 
only  one.  He  massacred  the  natives,  leveled  the  city, 
and  destroyed  the  temples,  and  then  rebuilt  the  city. 
The  city  has  never  revived  and  has  gradually 
dwindled  to  its  present  small  number  of  inhabitants. 
Many  churches  have  been  built  in  the  place  of  the 

119 


MEXICO   THE  WONDEBFUL 

temples  destroyed,  many  houses  have  been  rebuilt, 
but  the  city  has  not  grown  and  the  condition  of  the 
people  cannot  be  much,  if  any,  better  now  than  be- 
fore the  Conquest,  for  we  were  here  implored  by 
many  beggars  to  give  alms. 

From  the  top  of  the  pyramid  of  Cholula  a  fine 
view  can  be  had  of  the  valley  and  the  mountains  and 
the  beautiful  fields  form  a  magnificent  prospect,  but 
the  matter  of  churches  seems  to  be  overdone  for  the 
size  of  the  town.  There  are  in  this  city  of  about  five 
thousand  people,  twenty-eight  churches,  and  from 
the  pyramid  can  be  counted  thirty  more  on  the  plains 
near  by. 

Cortez  did  much  havoc  and  slaughter  in  and 
about  Cholula,  but  we  will  treat  of  Cortez  and  some 
of  his  wars  later  on. 


120 


The  Seventh  Letter* 


TELLING  THE  TRUTH. 

It  is  a  dangerous  thing  to  tell  the  truth;  that 
is,  if  you  expect  to  retain  your  reputation  for  verac- 
ity. Anyone  can  tell  a  lie  and  put  it  in  such  a 
plausible  shape  that  most  anybody  will  believe  it. 
But  truth  is  so  much  stranger  than  fiction,  that 
when  it  is  told  in  its  exactness  just  as  it  should  be 
and  just  as  I  always  tell  it,  the  narrator  is  liable 
to  find  himself  unbelieved  and  utterly  discredited. 

A  story  is  told  of  a  man  who  went  north  from 
New  Orleans  one  time,  when  artificial  ice  was  first 
made,  and  on  his  return  he  said  he  had  seen  ice 
made  on  a  hot  day  in  summer  time.  He  was  imme- 
diately suspended  from  the  church  to  which  he 
belonged  for  telling  such  an  awful  untruth.  But 
it  was  finally  agreed  that  two  of  the  brothers  of  the 
church  should  be  sent  to  Cincinnati,  where  the  fac- 
tory was  located,  to  verify  or  dispute  the  brother's 
story  regarding  the  making  of  ica  in  the  summer 

121 


MEXICO   THE   WONDERFUL 

time.  When  these  two  brothers  returned  they 
stated  that  they  had  seen  the  ice  made  and  not  only 
that,  but  that  it  was  made  by  heating  water  in  a 
boiler  with  coal  and  then  using  the  steam  to  make 
the  ice.  These  two  brothers  seemed  to  be  so  much 
bigger  liars  than  the  first  brother  that  they  were 
Immediately  suspended  and  the  first  brother  was 
reinstated  in  the  church  as  his  offense  was  so  much 
less  than  that  of  the  other  two. 

So  you  see  the  danger  in  telling  the  truth. 

In  what  I  have  written  and  what  I  intend  to 
write  I  fully  realize  the  danger  to  my  usual  good 
reputation  for  veracity  that  I  am  running  into,  for 
Mexico  possesses  so  many  big,  wonderful  and 
strange  things  that  most  of  the  people  do  not  know 
about,  that  many  people  will  hardly  believe  them 
when  they  are  truly  set  down,  and  the  narrator  is 
liable  to  be  the  sufferer  thereby. 

Among  the  great  and  wonderful  things  which 
Mexico  has,  is  Popocatepetl,  the  white-headed  giant 
crater  of  the  continent;  Mount  Orizaba,  equally 
grand  and  said  to  be  the  highest  point  in  the  west- 
ern world;  the  Cholula  pyramid,  which  is  more  than 
twice  as  large  as  the  greatest  pyramid  in  Egypt. 
Her  silver  mines  hold  white  metal  enough  to  fur- 
nish the  world's  supply;  the  three  largest  meteorites 

122 


TELLING   THE   TRUTH 

that  have  ever  fallen  on  the  earth  and  been  recov- 
ered, rest  here  in  the  Mexico  College  of  Mines. 
There  is  a  solid  mountain  of  iron,  the  estimated 
value  of  which  is  nine  thousand  nine  hundred  mil- 
lions of  dollars.  The  finest  and  largest  equestrian 
statue  ever  cast  in  bronze  was  made  here  and  stands 
in  Mexico  City.  The  tree  said  to  be  of  the  largest 
girth  measurement  in  the  world;  the  greatest 
cathedrals  in  the  western  world;  the  largest  perfect 
bell  now  in  the  world ;  and  some  of  the  most  ancient 
ruins  on  the  face  of  the  globe  are  in  Mexico.  It  had 
the  first  church,  the  first  school,  the  first  printing 
press  and  the  first  hospital  on  this  hemisphere.  It 
has  the  biggest  bull  fights  and  cock  tournaments, 
some  of  the  greatest  fortunes  and  more  beggars  and 
pickpockets,  the  rarest  fruits  and  flowers,  the 
greatest  variety  of  trees,  vegetables  and  grains, 
of  any  country.  Some  of  the  most  sublime 
scenery,  waterfalls,  hot  springs,  volcanoes  and 
other  natural  wonders  and  many  other  things 
greater  and  more  varied  than  most  persons 
imagine,  are  found  in  Mexico.  There  are 
full  grown  men  that  have  never  known  what  it  was 
to  own  a  coat,  a  pair  of  suspenders  or  a  pair  of 
shoes,  and  who  have  lived  all  their  lives  in  sight 
of  snow-covered  mountains  and  who  have  never 

123 


MEXICO  THE  WONDERFUL 

seen  a  snow  storm  or  piece  of  ice  closer  than  one 
hundred  miles  away.  I  am  certain  that  if  I  should 
try  to  describe  all  there  is  in  Mexico  I  would  hard- 
ly be  believed  and  I  would  lengthen  this  series  of 
letters  beyond  the  patience  of  my  most  faithful 
readers,  so  as  I  go  along  I  will  try  to  strike  only  the 
high  places. 

IN  A  SANITARIUM. 

We  left  Puebla  Sunday  afternoon  and  went 
south  on  the  Mexican  Southern  railway,  stopping 
for  the  night  at  a  small  city  called  Tehuacan.  When 
we  arrived  at  the  station  there  was  a  special  street 
car  waiting  to  take  us  to  the  principal  hotel  of  the 
place.  This  hotel  is  about  two  miles  out  from  the 
city  in  a  valley  between  the  mountains. 

The  hotel  proved  to  be  a  sort  of  combination 
of  a  hotel,  sanitarium  and  bathing  institution.  The 
structure  was  a  large  one-story  house  built,  I  be- 
lieve, of  adobe  or  sun-dried  bricks.  The  walla  are 
nearly  two  feet  thick  and  are  plastered  on  the 
inside  and  outside  and  frescoed  on  both  sides  as 
well.  The  main  building  and  its  annexes,  which 
are  the  bathing  establishments,  are  located  among 
a  grove  of  trees.  Opposite  the  main  entrance  is 
a  long  arbor  between  two  rows  of  banana  trees, 

124 


IN   A   SANITAEIUM 

with  seats  which  look  very  inviting,  at  the  end  of 
which  is  a  small  building  with  a  sign  reading 
"Telegrafos  Federates, "  meaning  the  official  gov- 
ernment telegraph  office.  The  main  building,  on 
account  of  its  size,  the  amount  of  ground  which  it 
covered  and  the  length  of  the  corridors,  reminded 
me  somewhat  of  the  Inside  Inn  at  the  St.  Louis 
Fair. 

The  corridors  are  all  paved  with  brick  or  tile 
as  are  also  the  floors  of  the  rooms.  How  large  the 
house  is,  or  how  much  ground  it  covers,  I  cannot 
venture  to  say.  As  a  matter  of  curiosity,  I  counted 
the  steps  from  my  room  to  the  main  office  and  there 
were  one  hundred  and  sixty  good,  long  strides.  The 
building  reached  beyond  that  and  spread  out  in 
other  directions  in  about  the  same  proportion, 
while  a  force  of  men  were  building  another  large 
addition  thereto.  There  are  several  courts  or  what 
are  called  in  this  country  "patios,"  within  the 
building,  and  these  courts  are  filled  with  orange 
and  banana  trees,  the  flowering  hibiscus  and  other 
flowering  trees  and  vines,  and  there  are  large 
stone  basins  and  fountains. 

It  was  about  seven  o'clock  in  the  evening  when 
we  reached  this  institution  and  the  main  colonnade 
was  filled  with  dark-eyed  senoritas  and  their  beaux. 

125 


MEXICO   THE  WONDERFUL 

They  had  just  come  down  town  to  see  what  the 
train  would  bring  in  and  they  seemed  very  much 
gratified  that  the  train  had  brought  us  to  town. 
Each  maiden  carried  partially  concealed  a  well 
filled  paper  bag  of  about  two  quarts  capacity. 

As  they  seemed  to  be  much  interested  in  the 
bags  and  somewhat  interested  in  us,  I  became  some- 
what interested  in  them  and  ventured  to  ask  one 
of  the  young  ladies  what  the  bags  contained.  She 
replied  in  fair  English  that  "You  will  find  out 
pretty  soon,"  and  so  we  did*  and  we  did  not  have 
long  to  wait  either,  for  about  the  time  our  whole 
party  had  got  in  and  were  ready  to  be  assigned 
to  their  quarters,  there  commenced  from  those  bags 
about  the  greatest  shower  of  confetti  or  paper  snow 
that  it  has  ever  been  my  lot  to  encounter. 

The  young  ladies  showered  us  to  their  hearts' 
content  as  a  sort  of  reminder  that  it  was  Mardi 
Gras  day  or  some  other  feast  day,  better  known  to 
them  than  to  us.  When  they  let  up  for  a  while 
we  all  looked  like  amateur  Santa  Glauses,  or  as 
though  we  had  come  through  a  variegated  snow 
storm,  and  the  ladies  of  our  party  looked  as  though 
they  were  ornamented  for  a  fancy  ball. 

The  confetti  was  in  hair,  hats,  feathers,  clothes, 
down  the  back  of  my  neck  and  down  the  back  of 

126 


GREAT  BATHING  ESTABLISHMENT 

the  necks  of  everybody  else  that  had  necks  and  in 
all  of  our  pockets.  We  were  filled  with  confetti 
almost  inside  and  out.  I  think  our  ladies  were 
about  two  weeks  in  combing  that  confetti  out  of 
their  hair  and  shaking  it  out  of  their  clothes,  and 
I  would  not  be  surprised  to  find  it  rattling  out  for 
six  months  yet  to  come. 

In  addition  to  the  larger  building  there  were 
a  number  of  bath  houses  built  like  great  mauso- 
leums with  single  windows  near  the  ceiling;  the 
walls  frescoed  on  the  outside  and  the  inside  walls 
ornamented  with  landscape  views  and  other  paint- 
ings. Each  house,  of  which  there  were  several 
sizes,  covered  huge  bathing  tanks  through  which 
the  waters  ran  in  a  rather  large  stream,  the  water 
entering  the  buildings  at  one  side  and  mixing  with 
the  water  in  the  tank  and  running  out  on  the  other 
side.  By  this  means  anyone  that  takes  a  bath, 
which  costs  about  twelve  cents,  is  supplied  with 
enough  water  to  give  a  bath  to  at  least  one  hundred 
people. 

This  establishment,  or  the  place  where  it  is 
located,  is  called  the  Carlsbad  of  Mexico,  after  the 
famous  springs  designated  by  that  name  in  Ger- 
many. 

The  waters  are  supposed  to  be  very  healthful 

127 


MEXICO  THE  WONDERFUL 

for  either  external  or  internal  use,  and  they  are 
bottled  and  sold  at  all  of  the  restaurants  in  the 
Republic  of  Mexico,  and  are  even  shipped  beyond 
the  boundaries  of  the  country. 

I  drank  this  water  in  many  hotels  and  restau- 
rants during  my  stay  in  Mexico,  but  I  have  never 
found  out  whether  the  people  that  run  this  estab- 
lishment bottle  this  water  before  it  goes  through 
the  bathhouses  or  afterwards. 

The  morning  I  was  there,  I  went  out  to  see  if 
I  could  discover  the  source  of  the  supply,  as  I  am 
a  little  particular  about  what  kind  of  water  I  bathe 
in,  and  a  little  more  particular  about  where  the 
water  I  drink  comes  from.  I  started  in  at  one  bath 
house  that  contained  a  tank,  some  fifteen  by  thirty 
feet,  with  water  three  or  four  feet  deep  therein. 
Next  to  that  was  a  similar  bath  house  with  a  sim- 
ilar tank  with  about  one  inch  of  water  in  the  bottom 
in  which  a  number  of  minnows  were  swimming 
about  in  a  lively  manner ;  then  I  passed  several  more 
bath  houses  of  larger  or  smaller  dimensions.  Then 
I  followed  a  few  yards  up  the  stream  and  close  to 
one  side  thereof  was  a  lonely  grave.  It  was  sur- 
rounded by  an  iron  railing  and  entirely  covered 
by  a  well  built  marble  tomb  and  was  decorated 
with  a  number  of  large  floral  pieces,  made  of  del- 

128 


TEHUACAN  WATER 

icate  colored  beads,  which  represent  flowers  almost 
natural  as  life.  Leaving  the  grave,  I  followed  up 
the  stream  and  came  to  a  small  Indian  village 
where  some  of  the  natives  were  doing  the  family 
washing  in  the  water,  rubbing  the  clothes  on  a  flat 
stone  after  soaping  them  and  then  rinsing  them  in 
the  stream.  But  this  did  not  indicate  the  source 
of  supply,  so  I  followed  on  a  little  further  when  I 
was  attacked  by  a  savage  dog.  The  dog  being  called 
off,  I  went  a  little  further  and  came  to  a  yoke  of 
oxen  tied  to  a  tree.  They  looked  up  at  me  to  see 
if  I  was  going  to  give  them  the  usual  beating  which 
they  expect  to  get  about  so  often,  and  seemed  to 
be  relieved  when  I  passed  by.  At  the  next  house 
a  lean  hungry  pig  with  a  very  high  forehead  was 
tied  by  a  hind  leg  to  a  tree.  In  its  most  forcible 
language,  it  asked  for  something  to  eat,  which 
reminded  me  of  the  fact  that  I  had  not  yet  had  my 
own  breakfast.  I  gave  up  the  stream  and  returned 
to  the  hotel  where  one  of  the  guests  insisted  that  I 
had  been  following  the  wrong  brand}  altogether. 
An  argument  ensued  on  this  point  which  was  not 
ended  when  breakfast  was  called,  and  as  the  car 
was  waiting  to  take  us  to  the  train,  I  never  found 
the  source  of  supply  and  I  felt  like  Ponce  de  Leon, 
who  was  always  searching  for  the  fountain  of  youth, 

129 


MEXICO   THE   WONDERFUL 

and  never  found  it.  But  as  I  could  get  no  better 
water  in  Mexico  than  that  from  Tehuacan,  I  con- 
tented myself  to  drink  it  as  long  as  I  stayed  in  the 
country. 

STREET  CAR  SERVICE  IN  MEXICO. 

After  breakfast  we  started  for  the  train  in  the 
street  car.  Owing  to  the  rough  streets  usual  in  this 
country,  everybody  uses  street  cars  in  preference 
to  hacks  in  the  smaller  towns. 

It  was  down  grade  most  of  the  way.  The  car 
was  drawn  by  two  small  mules  and  the  villain  who 
did  the  driving  had  no  regard  either  for  the  com- 
fort or  the  safety  of  his  team,  but  lashed  them  with 
a  good,  strong,  heavy  whip  every  jump  of  the  way. 
The  mules  went  down  the  road  on  a  full  run  like  a 
pair  of  jack  rabbits,  and  everybody  shuddered  to 
think  what  would  become  of  the  mules,  the  car,  or 
the  balance  of  us,  if  one  or  both  of  the  mules  should 
chance  to  stumble  and  fall.  If  such  a  mishap 
should  have  have  occurred,  the  poor  mules  would  cer- 
tainly have  been  ground  to  mince  meat  beneath  the 
car  and  nobody  could  have  told  what  would  have 
happened  to  the  passengers. 

In  Mexico  City  they  have  a  very  good  system 
of  trolley  electric  street  cars,  but  in  every  other 

130 


STREET  CAR  SERVICE 

town  they  still  depend  on  the  mule  for  motive  power 
in  the  street  car  service.  The  abuse  they  heap  upon 
these  animals  and  the  rate  at  which  they  drive 
them,  is  something  furious.  The  driver,  who  is 
usually  a  muscular  fellow,  devotes  his  entire  energy 
to  the  whipping  of  the  mules,  and  many  of  the 
animals  have  the  hair  completely  whipped  off  their 
flanks.  A  mule  is  not  naturally  a  fast  animal,  but 
they  are  compelled  by  these  drivers  in  this  country 
to  make  a  speed  which  is  hardly  conceivable,  con- 
sidering the  ordinary  nature  of  the  mule. 

Each  driver  carries  in  his  belt  or  some  other 
convenient  place,  a  horn,  similar  to  the  horn  carried 
on  an  automobile,  only  of  a  smaller  size.  I  suppose 
it  might  be  designated  a  fish  horn.  At  every  corner 
or  about  so  often,  he  takes  out  the  horn  and  blows 
on  it  a  shrill  blast  that  can  be  heard  at  a  consider- 
able distance.  These  horns  are  used  in  place  of 
bells  and  the  sound  of  a  horn  is  a  notice  for  every- 
body to  get  off  the  track  for  the  street  car  is 
coming. 

It  must  be  thoroughly  understood  that  the 
street  car  brooks  no  let  or  hindrance,  but  has  the 
right  of  way  at  all  times,  and  everything  else  must 
get  off  the  track. 


131 


MEXICO   THE   WONDERFUL 
CANONS  AND  CACTI. 

After  leaving  Tehuacan  we  were  soon  speeding 
down  the  Mexican  Southern  railway  among  great 
mountains  and  through  canons. 

Excepting  a  few  miles  in  the  Royal  Gorge  in 
Colorado,  this  road  passes  through  canons  which 
are  equal  to  anything  we  have  in  America. 

The  railroad  is  of  narrow  gauge  construction, 
and  winds  its  way  between  walls  so  high  that  it 
seems  there  is  danger  of  stones  falling  from  the  top 
that  would  crush  the  train  out  of  existence.  Some 
very  remarkable  scenery  is  found  in  Mexico. 

There  are  several  varieties  of  cacti,  which  I 
believe  is  the  correct  plural  of  cactus,  growing 
along  this  road.  Some  varieties  grow  with  branches 
like  trees  and  attain  a  height  as  great  as  twenty- 
five  feet.  There  is  another  variety  in  the  smaller 
sizes,  which  in  the  north  is  sometimes  called  "cat- 
tail". It  grows  perfectly  straight  and  almost  as  tall 
as  telegraph  poles.  There  is  another  variety  with 
flat  leaves  which  is  quite  common  in  the  warm  and 
sandy  parts  of  Illinois,  usually  called  the  "prickly 
pear." 

One  variety  grows  like  a  sort  of  eight  corner 
straight  pole  about  five  inches  through,  with  no 
branches,  and  grows  ten  or  twelve  feet  high.  When 

132 


INSPIRING   SCENERY 

planted  in  straight  rows  it  makes  a  hedge  like  a  solid 
wall.  It  is  much  used  for  fences  here.  There  are  a 
number  of  other  varieties,  most  of  which  can  be  seen 
in  any  ordinary  greenhouse  north,  but  while  in 
northern  countries  they  usually  grow  from  six  to  ten 
inches  in  height,  they  attain  in  Mexico  a  tremendous 
size,  as  indicated  above. 

At  this  season  of  the  year  a  number  of  these 
plants  are  in  blossom  and  some  of  them  have  very 
pretty  flowers. 

But  to  return  to  the  train  which  is  carrying  us 
down  through  the  valley.  It  leads  on  through  a 
country  that  requires  the  greatest  ingenuity  of  the 
engineer  to  construct  a  railway.  In  a  number  of 
places  the  road  is  protected  from  the  ravages  of  the 
river  by  heavy  stone  walls,  and  in  other  places  it  has 
encroached  upon  the  river  until  it  was  necessary  to 
change  the  course  of  the  river,  which  was  done  by 
tunneling  through  spurs  of  mountains,  turning  the 
course  of  the  river  through  these  tunnels  which  gives 
the  appearance  of  natural  bridges  through  which 
the  little  river  runs  while  the  track  takes  the 
original  bed  of  the  stream.  Sometimes  the  rail- 
road goes  through  the  tunnels  and  the  river  occu- 
pies the  open  valleys,  and  other  times  the  river  goes 
through  the  tunnels  and  the  railroad  occupies  the 

133 


MEXICO   THE  WONDERFUL 

place  of  the  river.  The  building  of  such  a  railroad 
as  this  and  the  many  difficulties  which  are  sur- 
mounted in  putting  it  into  operation  is  an  inspira- 
tion to  me.  I  have  a  very  high  regard  for  the  men 
who  have  the  brains,  the  energy  and  the  push  to 
carry  such  enterprises  through,  and  I  could  write 
pages  on  the  subject,  but  I  realize  that  there  are  not 
many  persons  who  are  so  deeply  interested  in 
such  works,  so  I  will  pass  along,  and  in  the  next  in- 
stalment will  give  our  experience  in  riding  through  a 
country  beyond  the  railroads  where  the  steel  rails 
have  never  been  laid,  where  the  sound  of  an  engine 
whistle  has  never  been  heard,  and  the  commerce  in 
that  part  of  the  world  is  carried  on  on  legs  instead  of 
wheels. 


134 


The  Eighth  Letter. 


THE  ROAD  TO  MITLA. 

"An  I  should  live  a  thousand  years,  I  never 
shall  forget  it."— 

Our  object  in  coming  so  far  south  as  we  were 
now  was  to  visit  the  ruins  of  Mitla,  and  to  see  the 
primitive  parts  of  Mexico.  And  we  will  never  for- 
get the  road  or  the  ride  to  Mitla. 

The  road  leads  from  Oaxaca  in  a  southeasterly 
direction,  a  distance,  so  they  say,  of  about  twenty- 
eight  miles.  To  us  it  seemed  at  least  a  hundred  and 
twenty-eight. 

The  trip  is  made  in  dilapidated  coaches,  called 
diligences,  to  each  of  which  five  slow  mules  are  at- 
tached, hitched  up  one  on  each  side  of  the  pole  and 
three  in  front  abreast.  Every  one  of  these  mules,  it 
seems,  is  determined  to  go  slower  than  the  other  four. 
Consequently,  it  takes  about  six  hours  to  cover  the 
stretch,  notwithstanding  the  picturesque  driver,  with 

135 


MEXICO  THE  WONDERFUL 

a  whip  twelve  feet  long,  lashes  the  mules  every  foot 
of  the  way  and  yells  imprecations  at  them  with  every 
breath. 

It  is  a  great  ride,  though,  and  is  well  worth  all 
the  time  that  it  takes  and  all  the  discomforts  that  it 
entails. 

We  made  a  start  a  little  after  noon  and  reached 
our  destination  about  sundown,  and  every  mile  of  the 
way  was  an  active  panorama  and  gives  one  as  vivid 
an  impression  of  the  southern  interior  of  Mexico  as 
it  is  possible  to  get. 

You  are  beyond  the  railroads,  beyond  the  cities 
with  their  modern  ways,  and  you  see  the  people  as 
they  live  and  move  in  their  own  way  in  their  own 
country. 

The  most  of  the  people  who  live  in  Mexico,  and 
in  fact  nearly  all  the  rural  population,  are  real  In- 
dians, the  actual  pure  blooded  descendants  of  the 
Aztecs  or  other  Indians,  who  inhabited  this  country 
before  it  was  discovered  by  the  Spaniards. 

Somehow  the  war  of  extermination  that  we  of 
the  United  States  have  waged  against  the  Indian  for 
the  last  four  hundred  years,  until  he  is  practically 
eliminated  and  does  not  figure  in  the  affairs  of  this 
country,  was  not  carried  to  the  same  extremes  in 
Mexico.  It  is  true  that  the  Spaniards  at  the  early 

138 


THE  ROAD  TO  MITLA 

invasion  of  this  land  slaughtered  a  large  number  of 
Indians  who  inhabited  it  at  that  time.  But  there 
must  have  been  either  a  difference  in  the  Spaniards 
of  this  country  and  the  white  men  of  the  United 
States,  or  between  the  Indians  of  this  country  and 
the  Indians  of  the  United  States.  For  while  it  has 
been  an  impossibility  to  conquer  the  American  In- 
dian, north  of  the  Mexican  line,  and  he  has  stood 
in  the  war  of  independence  until  he  has  been  practic- 
ally exterminated,  the  Spaniards  of  this  country 
conquered  the  Aztecs  or  Indians,  and  both  races 
have  lived  in  a  sort  of  harmony  ever  since. 

They  have  had  many  wars,  but  they  have  not 
been  race  wars,  but  have  been  based  upon  other 
questions.  So  the  Indians  or  Aztecs  are  living  here 
today,  just  as  they  did  five  hundred,  or  perhaps  one 
thousand  years  ago,  except  at  that  time  they 
worshiped  idola  and  had  a  jargon  of  their  own,  while 
now  they  have  adopted  the  religion  of  the  Cross,  and 
most  of  them  talk  Spanish,  if  not  correctly,  at  least 
fluently,  and  these  are  the  people  you  see  on  the  road 
to  Mitla. 

The  road  the  entire  distance  leads  up  a  broad 
valley,  between  the  mountain  ranges,  which  is  well 
cultivated  in  small  farms  which  present,  in  their 
growing  condition,  beautiful  pictures  to  the  eye. 

137 


MEXICO  THE  WONDERFUL 

The  farming  is  done  ordinarily  in  small  patches, 
but  it  seems  that  the  people  do  not  live  on  the 
grounds  which  they  cultivate,  but  dwell  in  villages 
or  cities  several  miles  apart  along  the  road.  They 
go  out  to  their  farms  in  the  morning  and  come  back 
to  their  homes  at  night.  They  go  in  to  market  at  ear- 
ly daylight,  carrying  their  various  products,  coming 
back  the  same  road  all  hours  of  the  day,  and  they 
carry  goods  from  one  town  to  another  on  the  road, 
and  this  is  the  road  to  Mitla. 

And  as  they  go  miles  and  miles  to  work,  and 
miles  and  miles  to  their  homes,  and  many  miles  to 
market,  and  miles  and  miles  back  again,  it  keeps  a 
constant  procession  all  the  time.  Sometimes  the 
wave  of  travel  is  in  one  direction  and  sometimes  in 
the  other,  but  as  long  as  there  is  daylight,  and  even 
during  the  night,  the  procession  is  ever  moving. 

No  such  procession  can  be  seen  anywhere  in 
the  United  States,  and  can  hardly  be  imagined  by 
one  who  has  never  encountered  it.  It  could  only  be 
seen  in  some  primitive  country  like  this. 

As  we  pass  this  great  procession,  and  this  great 
procession  passes  us,  and  we  mingle  with  the  people 
who  make  it  up,  it  seems  to  turn  back  the  calendar  of 
time  two  thousand  years,  and  we  might  imagine 
that  we  are  in  the  midst  of  caravans  that  were  on 

138 


THE  ROAD  TO  MITLA 

the  road  from  Joppa  to  Jerusalem,  long  ago, 
or  are  passing  over  the  road  that  led  to  Bethle- 
hem of  Judea,  at  that  time,  and  yet  we  are  not  so  far 
in  the  long  past  nor  so  far  from  home,  but  are  only 
on  the  road  to  Mitla. 

The  coach  is  lumbering  along.  Our  legs  are 
twisted  up  with  those  belonging  to  other  passengers, 
like  angle  worms  in  a  fisherman's  can.  Minutes  have 
lengthened  into  hours  and  hours  seem  as  long  as  days, 
and  the  far  off  mountains  with  their  shrubbery  are  so 
far  away  that  they  seem  like  moss  covered  mole 
hills.  Great  cactus  plants  along  the  roadside  display 
their  weird  arms  against  the  bright  sunlit  sky.  The 
road  is  rough,  the  dust  is  intolerable,  the  heat  is  op- 
pressive, the  yell  and  slash  of  the  drivers  are  una- 
bated, and  we  are  still  on  the  road  to  Mitla. 

There  are  three  coaches  of  our  party  drawn  by 
an  army  of  fifteen  mules.  The  location  of  each 
coach  can  be  told  by  the  cloud  of  dust  it  stirs  up,  and 
by  the  crack  of  the  whip  and  the  imploring  voice  of 
the  driver  to  his  team.  We  are  wrapped  in  sandy 
dust,  we  are  feeling  dust,  breathing  dust,  and  short- 
ening our  teeth  by  chewing  the  same  thing.  We 
have  been  out  three  hours,  and  it  seems  three  weeks. 

The  mountain  ranges  look  just  the  same  as  at 
first,  the  clouds  of  dust  look  just  the  same,  the  lum- 

139 


MEXICO  THE  WONDERFUL 

bering  coaches  jolt  just  the  same,  and  the  wheels  rat- 
tle on  the  stone  road  just  the  same.  The  big  boulders 
which  the  wheels  strike  seem  just  the  same  except 
that  they  seem  a  little  bit  bigger  every  time  they 
are  struck.  We  are  rocking  like  a  ship  at  sea,  going 
up  and  down  on  waves  of  stone,  and  swaying  from 
one  side  of  the  road  to  the  other,  to  dodge  the  ele- 
ments of  the  procession,  and  we  are  still  on  the  road 
to  Mitla. 

The  great  procession  is  in  motion.  There  are 
ox  carts  with  solid  wheels,  chopped  out  of  wood, 
with  axles  six  inches  in  diameter,  and  the  driver 
is  either  goading  the  oxen  as  he  walks,  or  lying  in 
the  wagon  punching  his  oxen  as  they  proceed  so 
lazily. 

There  are  men  driving  cattle  in  droves;  there 
are  men,  boys  and  women  driving  burros  or  don. 
keys  of  all  sizes  and  carrying  all  kinds  of  market 
stuff;  sometimes  melons,  sometimes  potatoes,  some- 
times chickens  in  coops  and  sometimes  chickens  of 
various  colors  tied  up  in  bunches  that  look  like 
poultry  bouquets,  and  sometimes  a  dozen  things  all 
at  once. 

There  are  men,  women  and  children  carrying 
bundles  of  all  kinds  of  products  on  their  heads,  in 
their  arms  and  on  their  backs.  There  are  people 

140 


THE  ROAD  TO  MITLA 

driving  goats  in  flocks  and  in  pairs.  There  are 
people  driving  flocks  of  sheep  and  people  leading 
sheep.  There  are  droves  of  oxen  unyoked  and  there 
are  yokes  of  oxen  unhitched.  There  are  oxen  tak- 
ing the  plows  out  to  the  farms  and  other  oxen 
bringing  plows  back  from  the  farms.  There  are 
whole  families  of  men,  women,  donkeys,  oxen,  pigs, 
sheep  and  goats  and  dogs,  mixed  together. 

There  are  women  on  foot  with  babies  strapped 
on  their  backs  and  there  are  other  women  on  don- 
keys with  children  before  and  behind  them.  There 
are  some  women  carrying  sleeping  children  in  their 
arms  and  other  babies  feeding  at  their  mothers' 
breasts  as  they  proceed.  There  are  men  carrying 
fighting  cocks  and  fat  turkeys;  there  are  people 
carrying  sheep  skins  full  of  goat's  milk-.  There 
are  people  carrying  goat  skins  full  of  cow's  rnillr, 
and  pig  skins  full  of  liquor. 

There  are  people  carrying  big  stone  pots  or 
jugs  full  of  various  kinds  of  liquids.  There  are 
donkeys  loaded  with  fodder,  straw,  wood,  charcoal, 
bricks,  beams  and  building  stone,  and  there  in 
everything  else  in  these  lines  that  can  be  imagined 
or  that  cannot  be  imagined,  on  the  road  to  Mitla. 

There  are  people  dwelling  in  the  villages  by 
the  roadside  and  they  all  have  dogs  and  the  dogs 

141 


MEXICO  THE  WONDERFUL 

all  bark,  and  the  people  wear  all  kinds  of  clothes, 
and  big  sombreros,  and  some  of  the  little  fellows 
scarcely  wear  any  clothes  at  all,  and  some  are  com- 
fortably  dressed,  and  some  are  ragged  and  some  are 
more  ragged  than  others.  In  one  place  three  small 
boys  stood  side  by  side  to  see  us  go  by  and  one 
had  trousers  on  and  one  had  not,  and  the  one  be- 
tween compromised  the  situation  by  having  ragged 
trousers  with  only  one  leg,  and  they  were  all  on  the 
road  to  Mitla. 

We  go  over  bridges,  ford  streams,  cross  irri- 
gating ditches  and  go  on  through  the  beds  of  dry 
rivers,  our  teams  walk,  trot  and  gallop  but  the 
coaches  drag  heavily.  Sometimes,  however,  all  the 
coaches  come  abreast  on  a  straight  piece  of  road 
and  the  monotony  is  broken  by  getting  the  mules 
into  motion  and  a  great  race  is  had  with  all  the 
coaches  in  a  whirl.  The  groups  of  mules  with  their 
clattering  hoofs,  the  wheels  rattling  on  the  stones, 
the  drivers  lashing  their  mules  harder  than  ever, 
and  all  the  passengers  yelling  like  wild  hyenas,  a 
chariot  race  in  the  circus  is  more  than  out-done. 

And  this  increases  the  interest  in  the  ride  and 
it  also  increases  the  dust  until  it  is  well  nigh  unbear- 
able, but  it  hastens  the  end  and  lends  added  excite- 

142 


THE  ROAD  TO  MITLA 

ment  to  the  few  exciting  attractions  that  are  found 
on  the  road  to  Mitla. 

But  everything  has  an  end,  and  so  has  the  road 
to  Mitla. 

Just  as  the  sun  is  sinking  behind  a  great  moun- 
tain to  the  west  and  the  red  glow  is  resting  on  the 
eastern  slope,  you  come  to  a  small  river.  The  coach 
makes  a  plunge  down  the  steep  embankment,  the 
wheels  grit  in  the  sands  and  rattle  on  the  boulders 
in  the  bottom  of  the  stream,  the  water  comes  up  to 
the  rims  and  drops  from  the  spokes  like  pearls, 
then  another  crack  of  the  whip,  a  tug  and  a  pull; 
it  is  a  hard  tug  and  a  strong  pull  and  the  coach 
comes  over  the  opposite  bank,  then  there  is  a  great 
rush,  a  sudden  halt,  and  we  draw  up  before  the 
hacienda  of  Don  Felix  Quero,  the  modern  feudal 
lord,  the  polite  "Poohbah"  and  prevailing  spirit 
of  the  antique  and  ancient  city  of  Mitla,  so  old  and 
so  ancient  that  it  was  perhaps  a  middle-aged  town 
when  Christ  walked  the  waters  of  Galilee,  or  even 
when  Alexander  marched  at  the  head  of  his  armies. 

It  once  had  a  population  of  thousands,  but  it 
is  now  reduced  to  hundreds. 

A    HACIENDA. 

A  visit  to  the  hacienda  of  Don  Felix  Quero, 

143 


MEXICO  THE  WONDERFUL 

where  you  lodge  over  night  in  order  to  see  the 
ruins  of  Mitla,  is  worth  the  long  and  tedious  ride 
to  get  there.  It  is  more  than  an  oasis  in  the  desert. 
It  is  a  walled  fortress  surrounding  a  flowered  corner 
of  heaven. 

The  main  building  is  a  one-story  affair,  white 
as  marble,  and  with  a  great  arch  over  the  main  en- 
trance. Don  Felix,  a  little  gray  Spaniard  who  runs 
a  small  general  store  in  front,  welcomes  you  to  his 
hospitable  home.  You  pass  through  the  great  arch 
and  come  within  the  "patio,"  a  garden  overcrowded 
with  tropical  vines,  trees  and  plants.  A  tall  poplar 
stands  in  the  center,  at  least  fifty  feet  high,  en- 
twined by  a  bright  flowering  vine  that  clothes  the 
tree  from  top  to  bottom  in  a  garment  of  magenta 
colored  blossoms.  There  is  a  fountain  that  furnishes 
the  pure  waters  from  the  mountain.  There  are 
orange  and  lemon  trees  with  their  ripened  globes 
like  spheres  of  gold.  And  there  are  flowers  of  every 
hue  and  shade.  If  the  garden  of  Eden  was  more 
beautiful  than  Don  Felix's  patio,  it  must  have  been 
a  lovely  place. 

The  house  itself  is  ai  wonderful  in  its  construc- 
tion and  furnishing!  a*  the  garden  in  the  center. 

On  every  side  of  the  court  or  patio,  as  it  is 
called,  are  large  white  columns  supporting  a  tile 

144 


ON     THE     ROAD     TO     MITLA. 

"The    great    procession    is    in    motion.        There   are   ox    carls 
with  solid  wheels  chopped  out  of  wood," — Page  140. 


A    HACIENDA 

roof  which  forms  a  grand  colonnade  paved  with 
stone,  into  which  all  of  the  rooms  of  the  house  open. 
The  grand  parlors  are  twenty  by  forty  feet  and  Don 
Felix's  coat  of  arms  embroidered  with  golden  thread 
occupies  a  conspicuous  place  on  the  walls,  and  his 
pedigree  tree  is  a  work  of  art.  There  are  some 
frescoed  walls,  rich  furnishings  and  fine  pictures. 
The  walls  are  two  feet  thick  and  the  windows  are 
grated  and  the  doors  are  six  inches  thick  and  are 
like  the  doors  to  a  castle. 

The  meals  are  served  in  the  open  under  flow- 
ering vines  and  among  the  orange  trees.  There  is 
no  orchestra,  but  there  is  the  melody  of  the  winds 
in  the  trees  and  the  music  of  singing  birds. 

The  feast  served  is  in  keeping  with  all  the  sur- 
roundings and  in  addition  to  clusters  of  flowers  on 
the  tables,  each  guest  is  presented  with  a  cute 
boutonniere,  the  stem  wrapped  in  tin  foil  and  with 
a  pin  to  attach  it  to  the  garment.  Not  a  single 
detail  is  neglected. 

Every  surrounding  is  charming  and  the  tired 
guest,  when  nightfall  comes,  retires  to  the  strong- 
hold of  the  castle,  shuts  and  locks  the  great  doors 
to  his  room  and  by  the  light  of  a  tallow  dip  removes 
his  dusty  garments,  then  he  "wraps  the  drapery  of 
his  couch  around  him  and  lays  him  down  to  pleasant 

145 

—10 


MEXICO  THE  WONDERFUL 

dreams,"  and  in  his  dreams  he  is  carried  back  two 
score  or  more  of  years  and  two  thousand  miles  away 
to  the  scenes  of  his  childhood,  to  the  old  homestead, 
to  the  green  fields  of  long  ago  and  the  happiness  of 
youth. 

THE    RUINS   OF    MITLA. 

These  evidences  of  a  past  and  forgotten  race 
are  among  the  most  interesting  objects  in  Mexico, 
and  bespeak  a  considerable  civilization  of  ancient 
times  that  is  nearly  equal  to  that  of  later  years. 
There  is  nothing  to  indicate  how  long  ago  were 
erected  the  temples  of  which  these  ruins  remain,  and 
they  seem  to  antedate  the  time  of  all  races  known  to 
history.  Five  hundred  years  ago  the  Spaniards 
found  these  ruins  here  as  they  are  today,  except  that 
in  recent  years  some  additional  excavation  and  clean- 
ing up  has  been  done;  some  new  passages  have  been 
opened,  some  crumbling  walls  have  been  restored, 
and  some  steel  beams  have  been  supplied  to  sustain 
old  stone  lintels  that  after  perhaps  two  thousand 
years  or  more  were  finally  giving  away.  The  govern- 
ment has  recently  taken  these  ruins  in  hand,  has 
located  a  custodian  and  guards  and  has  stopped  the 
vandalism  of  relic  hunters. 

Among  other  writers  who  have  visited  this  lo- 

146 


THE    RUINS    OF    MITLA 

cality  was  one  Fra  Martin  de  Valencia,  who  in 
1533-4  came  here  and  wrote  of  these  ruins  as  follows : 
"We  passed  through  a  pueblo  which  is  called 
'Mictlan,'  signifying  'hell,'  in  the  native  tongue, 
where  were  found  some  edifices  more  worth  seeing 
than  anything  else  in  new  Spain.  Among  them  was  a 
temple  of  the  demon,  and  the  dwelling  of  his  at- 
tendants— particularly  one  hall  made  of  something 
like  lattice  work.  The  fabric  was  of  stone,  with 
many  figures  and  shapes;  it  had  many  doorways, 
each  one  built  of  three  great  stones,  two  at  the  sides 
and  one  at  the  top,  all  very  thick  and  wide.  In  these 
quarters  there  was  another  hall  containing  round 
pillars,  each  one  of  a  single  piece,  and  so  thick  that 
two  men  could  hardly  embrace  them;  their  height 
must  be  five  fathoms." 

This  description  is  very  good  for  today,  except 
the  columns  at  this  time  are  not  so  high  as  stated. 

Charnay,  a  historian  of  more  recent  date,  1860, 
wrote  as  follows:  "These  ruins  are  reduced  to  three 
pyramids  and  six  palaces.  The  best  preserved 
group  consists  of  three  buildings  surmounting  low 
mounds  of  earth  and  stone,  and  forming  three  sides 
of  a  square  court.  The  opposing  structures  on  the 
east  and  west  are  nearly  obliterated,  but  that  on  the 
north  is  well  preserved.  This  building  has  a  T- 

147 


MEXICO    THE    WONDERFUL 

shaped  plan,  and  was  entered  from  the  court  by 
three  doorways.  The  entrance  into  the  court  is 
thirty-six  feet  wide  and  one  hundred  and  thirty 
feet  in  length,  along  the  middle  of  which  is  a  row 
of  tapering  porphyry  columns,  six  in  number,  that 
once  supported  the  roof.  The  walls  are  faced  out- 
side with  neatly  cut  stone  in  large  blocks,  laid  to 
form  sunken  panels  of  varying  size,  in  which  by 
means  of  stucco,  a  series  of  tasteful  geometric  dec- 
orative patterns  have  been  worked.  The  floor  is 
paved  with  flat  stones,  and  the  inner  surface  of  the 
walls  is  of  unhewn  stone ;  both  were  originally 
plastered. 

That  here  was  a  great  city,  built  by  a  race 
prior  to  those  inhabiting  the  land  when  Cortez 
came,  there  is  no  doubt.  Not  one  city  alone,  for  all 
over  this  valley  of  Oaxaca  are  found  the  remains 
of  walls,  columns  thrown  down,  and  huge  mono- 
liths like  those  at  Mitla,  as,  for  instance,  in  the 
ruins  of  Monte  Alban,  near  Oaxaca  City.  About 
three  miles  west  of  Mitla  is  a  high  rock  called  the 
"fuerte"  or  "Citadel  of  Mitla,"  and  in  the  neigh- 
borhood are  the  ruins  of  Xaga,  resembling  those  of 
a  great  city.  The  "fuerte"  or,  as  the  Zapotecos 
call  it,  "Jio,"  is  a  rock  five  hundred  feet  high. 

There  are  also  other  ruins  of  prehistoric  struc- 

148 


PREHISTORIC    STRUCTURES 

tures  scattered  all  over  Mexico  and  beyond  from 
Chihuahua  on  the  north,  to  the  Honduras  line  on 
the  south,  and  many  have  been  destroyed  within 
the  last  four  or  five  hundred  years. 

Near  the  City  of  Mexico  they  are  now  excavat- 
ing about  two  pyramids  called  the  pyramids  of  the 
Sun  and  Moon.  The  pyramid  of  the  Sun  is  over 
two  hundred  feet  high  and  the  base  is  seven  hun- 
dred and  fifty  feet  square,  and  the  pyramid  of  the 
Moon  is  nearly  as  large. 

The  National  Museum  at  Mexico  City  is  replete 
with  statues,  carvings  and  images  made  from  stone 
that  have  been  found  in  all  parts  of  Mexico,  of 
much  the  same  appearance  as  those  found  in  Egypt 
and  other  localities  in  the  eastern  hemisphere.  It 
would  appear  that  there  might  have  been  some 
relationship  between  these  people  and  the  early  in- 
habitants of  Egypt  or  Syria,  also,  as  in  some  of  the 
tombs  or  temples  are  found  beads  or  jewels  made 
of  a  very  rare  stone  called  jade,  which  is  next  to  a 
diamond  in  hardness  and  which  is  not  found  in  the 
quality  here  mentioned  any  place  except  China. 

Queer  old  world,  this,  older  than  we  usually 
reckon.  What  has  become  of  the  people  who  in- 
habited it  when  these  temples  were  built?  And 
where  are  the  descendants  of  the  people  who  chiseled 

149 


MEXICO    THE    WONDERFUL 

out  these  old  images  in  stone,  which  with  the  ruins 
of  their  temples  are  the  only  evidence  of  their  exist- 
ence? But  they  indicate  that  they  were  of  a  different 
race  than  those  who  have  lived  within  any  term 
covered  by  history  or  tradition  that  is  now  accessible 
to  us. 

And  what  changes  may  take  place  in  the  years 
to  come?  Perhaps  the  present  civilization  may  be 
overrun  by  a  new  race  of  barbarians  and  a  new  era 
of  barbarism.  Earthquakes  and  upheavals  may  de- 
stroy the  present  proud  evidences  of  our  handiwork. 
The  knowledge  of  how  to  construct  machinery,  to 
build  houses,  make  steam  and  convert  electricity, 
may  go  with  the  lost  arts. 

And  then,  perhaps,  in  a  thousand,  two  thousand, 
or  even  five  thousand  years,  a  new  civilization  may 
develop.  A  new  race  of  people  eight,  ten  or  twelve 
feet  tall,  who  will  consider  us  mere  pigmies,  may 
come  and  uncover  the  remnants  of  our  homes,  the 
foundations  and  columns  of  our  buildings,  dig  up 
our  graves,  scatter  or  collect  our  bones,  dig  the  gold 
out  of  our  teeth,  wire  our  skeletons,  and,  as  we  do 
now  to  others,  set  up  our  grinning  skulls  in  their 
public  museums  for  gaping  crowds  to  examine  the 
caverns  that  once  enclosed  our  brains,  or  leer  into 
the  hollow  lockets  that  now  contain  our  eyes. 

150 


The  Ninth  Letter. 


EVERYTHING    IS    CARRIED. 

In  this  land  of  Mexico  wagons  are  a  luxury.  In 
the  large  cities  there  are  more  used  now  than  there 
were  several  years  ago,  but  in  the  smaller  towns  and 
in  the  country  districts,  a  limited  amount  of  trans- 
portation is  done  by  ox  teams,  but  everything  else  is 
carried  either  on  the  backs  of  men  and  women  or  on 
the  backs  of  burros  or  donkeys,  and  it  is  truly  a 
wonder  what  loads  these  people  and  donkeys  do 
carry. 

It  is  also  peculiar  how  well,  by  long  practice,  these 
folks  can  attach  things  to  a  donkey's  back.  If  the 
writer  of  this  article,  or  perhaps  the  reader,  was 
given  a  dozen  blocks  of  stone  a  foot  square  or  of 
irregular  shape  and  size,  a  few  feet  of  rope,  some 
burlap  and  two  or  three  donkeys  about  three  feet 
high,  and  told  to  fasten  those  rocks  onto  those 
donkeys  so  they  would  ride  safely  a  score  of  miles, 
perhaps  he  would  be  in  trouble. 

151 


MEXICO    THE    WONDERFUL 

But  what  would  you  do  if  you  were  given  an 
assortment  of  stone  jugs  of  all  sizes,  from  a  gallon 
to  five  gallons,  full  of  milk  or  other  liquids,  a  dozen 
or  two  of  chickens,  a  few  blocks  of  stone,  a  barrel  or 
two  of  melons,  a  lot  of  tomatoes,  a  half  cord  of  char- 
coal, a  cord  of  stove  wood,  two  or  three  shocks  of 
fodder,  some  twenty-foot  joists,  two  or  three  women, 
four  or  five  children  and  two  or  three  fresh  babies, 
and  a  lot  of  the  long-eared  animals,  and  told  to  as- 
semble them  so  you  could  account  for  all  of  them 
after  a  day's  journey?  Would  you  know  just  how  to 
tackle  the  job?  We  doubt  it,  and  yet  lots  of  these 
people  consider  such  a  problem  but  a  small  under- 
taking, and  go  through  with  it  day  after  day. 

The  loads  the  men  carry  are  out  of  all  propor- 
tion to  the  size  of  the  men.  All  Mexicans  are  on  the 
average  much  smaller  than  the  men  of  our  country. 
I  do  not  think  they  will  average  much  over  five  feet 
or  five  feet  and  two  or  three  inches,  and  they  are  not 
very  heavy,  either,  but  they  can  carry  immense 
loads. 

In  every  city  or  town  there  are  lots  of  common 
carriers  who  are  licensed  and  who  display  brass 
tablets  showing  the  number  of  their  licenses,  who 
clamor  for  your  baggage.  One  of  these  will  take  a 


152 


EVERYTHING  IS  CARRIED 

big  trunk  on  his  back  and  carry  it  to  the  hotel,  a 
half  mile  or  more,  with  pleasure. 

We  were  met  at  the  station  in  Oaxaca  by  the 
proprietor  of  the  hotel,  and  a  little  Indian  who 
measured  less  than  five  feet  in  height,  who  had  a 
piece  of  rope.  The  Indian  insisted  on  being  loaded 
with  all  the  suit  cases  of  the  party,  some  thirteen  in 
number,  besides  a  number  of  valises  and  other  arti- 
cles, and  was  tying  them  onto  himself  with  the  rope, 
when  we  relieved  him  of  half  a  dozen  or  so  and  he 
walked  off  with  the  rest,  looking  sort  of  disap- 
pointed. 

Some  of  them  have  a  sort  of  harness  with  a 
broad  strap  over  the  forehead,  the  harness  hanging 
between  their  shoulders.  They  require  help  to  be 
loaded,  but  when  the  load  is  put  in  place,  they  are 
off  with  it.  The  landlord  at  Oaxaca  said  that  the 
little  fellow  who  carried  the  suit  cases,  carried  a 
trunk  to  the  station  a  few  days  previous  that  was  so 
heavy  that  he  himself  could  scarcely  lift  one  end. 
At  Cuernavaca  I  was  told  that  one  of  these  carriers 
walked  along  with  a  big  sample  trunk  that  required 
eight  men  to  place  it  on  his  back.  I  do  not  vouch 
for  these  stories,  and  yet  they  seem  probable  when 
you  see  the  loads  they  carry. 

The  strongest  story  I  heard  in  this  line  was  that 

153 


MEXICO    THE    WONDERFUL 

a  mining  company  way  up  in  the  mountains  bought 
an  iron  safe — a  good  sized  one,  too.  It  came,  there 
was  no  wagon  road  to  the  mine,  and  they  tried  to 
strap  it  to  poles  or  rails  so  that  a  dozen  men  could 
carry  it,  but  this  was  abandoned,  as  that  also  re- 
quired a  road.  After  much  figuring  one  of  the  car- 
riers said  he  would  take  it  up  the  hill  if  they  would 
put  it  on  his  back.  They  loaded  him  with  the  safe 
and  he  went  off  up  the  mountain,  some  three  quarters 
of  a  mile,  without  making  a  halt. 

I  never  have  seen  one  of  these  fellows  carry  an 
iron  safe,  but  I  have  seen  them  carry  loads  that  made 
my  back  ache  to  see  them  go  by. 

The  distance  these  people  travel  and  the  speed 
at  which  they  go  is  as  remarkable  as  the  loads  they 
carry.  I  have  been  told  that  they  will  cover  seventy- 
five  miles  a  day,  but  I  seriously  doubt  that  they 
could  keep  this  up,  but  they  will  get  over  thirty  or 
forty  miles  a  day  with  a  good  load,  and  keep  it  up 
several  days. 

.  A  man  who  operates  a  mine  said  one  of  these 
fellows  would  take  bags  with  seventy-five  pounds 
of  ore  in  them  up  a  notched  ladder  three  or  four 
hundred  feet  and  keep  going  all  day  long. 

On  the  railway  between  Vera  Cruz  and  Mexico 
City  there  is  a  remarkable  example  of  the  "get 

154 


HEADING  OFF  A  TRAIN 

there"  of  these  people  and  the  energy  they  display 
in  peddling. 

Maltrata,  a  station  ninety-four  miles  west  of 
Vera  Cruz,  is  situated  at  an  altitude  of  five  thousand 
five  hundred  and  fifty-one  feet,  while  Boca  del  Monte, 
the  next  station,  has  an  altitude  of  seven  thousand 
nine  hundred  and  twenty-two  feet,  being  a  difference 
in  the  altitude  of  the  two  towns  of  two  thousand 
three  hundred  and  seventy-one  feet,  or  a  trifle  less 
than  half  a  mile,  if  measured  straight  up.  In 
order  to  reach  this  elevation,  the  railway  makes  a 
considerable  detour,  requiring  a  measurement  by 
rail  between  these  two  stations  of  thirteen  miles, 
while  the  distance  by  rail  or  foot  path  is  considera- 
bly less. 

In  the  valley  several  thousand  feet  below  Maltra- 
ta fine  oranges  and  fruits  are  raised,  which  are  sold 
to  the  passengers  of  the  trains.  Something  like  a 
hundred  men,  women  and  children  meet  the  train  at 
Maltrata  with  home-made  baskets  full  of  oranges 
and  other  fruits.  If  they  sell  out  they  return  to 
their  homes  in  the  valley  for  a  new  stock,  but  those 
who  do  not  sell  out  at  Maltrata  when  the  train  leaves, 
strike  out  up  the  trail  and  meet  the  train  several 
miles  away  and  a  half  mile  higher  in  the  air,  as  it 
pulls  into  del  Monte. 

155 


MEXICO    THE    WONDERFUL 

Then  after  this  train  has  pulled  out  for  the  west 
these  persistent  sales-people  tackle  the  next  train 
going  east  at  del  Monte,  then  as  it  leaves  they  run 
down  the  hill  and  head  the  same  train  off  at  Maltrata, 
and  then  they  are  ready  for  the  next  going  west. 

They  keep  this  up  all  day,  working  each  train 
two  times,  making  the  distance  between  the  two  sta- 
tions, up  and  down  the  mountain,  in  less  time  than 
the  train  does  by  its  more  circuitous  route. 

How  is  this  for  persistency  and  "git  up  and 
git?" 

The  loads  the  little  burros  or  donkeys  carry  are 
just  as  remarkable  as  the  loads  carried  by  the  men. 
They  walk  along  under  a  load  of  wood  or  even  build- 
ing stone,  almost  as  large  as  the  donkey  itself. 
Several  of  us  went  up  in  the  mountains  near  Cuerna- 
vaca  on  these  little  animals.  Three  of  us  weighed 
over  two  hundred  pounds  each,  and  one  man,  who 
stood  six  feet  four  inches  in  height,  and  who 
weighed  two  hundred  and  sixty  pounds,  rode  a 
donkey  that  looked  smaller  than  he  did  himself,  and 
the  owner  of  the  donkey  said  that  the  animal  would 
carry  two  more  like  him  at  a  single  load,  if  neces- 
sary. 

This  man's  feet  came  so  near  the  ground  that  I 
thought  the  burro  might  step  on  his  corns,  but  they 

156 


WOODEN    PLOWS 

seemed  to  understand  each  other  and  they  got  along 
all  right,  except  that  the  man  made  more  complaint 
than  the  donkey  did. 

WOODEN  PLOWS. 

All  down  these  valleys  of  Southern  Mexico  are 
little  farms  well  tilled  where  many  of  the  people  who 
do  the  work  have  never  seen  anything  in  the  shape 
of  a  plow  except  a  wooden  plow,  which  is  used  alto- 
gether in  this  locality.  Farm  wagons  are  unknown 
luxuries  in  this  country,  and  oxen  and  donkeys  are 
used  to  do  the  work  in  the  absence  of  horses. 

Speaking  of  the  wooden  plow  of  Mexico,  which 
is  referred  to  so  often  with  so  much  disdain,  it  is  not 
so  bad  an  affair  after  all.  From  the  form  of  its  con- 
struction it  would  be  immediately  condemned  by  any 
first-class  farmer  of  the  United  States,  and  yet  you 
would  be  surprised  to  see  what  powers  of  execution  it 
possesses  in  the  hands  of  the  people  who  understand 
it.  It  is  simply  a  sapling  which  forms  a  tongue  usual- 
ly with  a  hooked  root,  which  serves  for  a  share,  to 
which  another  piece  of  wood  is  attached  which  serves 
as  the  handle  or  the  guide.  The  hook  which  digs  into 
the  ground  is  covered  with  a  shield  of  iron  or  steel. 
The  plow  is  drawn  through  the  field  by  a  yoke  of 
oxen  and  when  the  day's  work  is.  done  it  is  turned 

157 


MEXICO    THE    WONDERFUL 

the  other  end  to  and  hung  on  the  yoke  and  hauled 
home  to  where  its  owner  lives. 

In  the  hands  of  the  people  who  use  it,  and  for 
the  purposes  for  which  it  is  used,  I  do  not  know  that 
a  modern  steel  plow  would  do  any  better.  The 
ground  is  a  loose  sandy  soil  and  ordinarily  is  full  of 
stones  of  all  sizes  and  shapes. 

The  best  modern  steel  plow  would  soon  be  cut 
to  pieces  and  be  unfit  for  use,  while  it  takes  a  long 
time  to  do  much  harm  to  one  of  these  plows.  Of 
course,  a  modern  plow  would  cut  deeper  and  turn  a 
wider  furrow  and  it  would  be  perhaps  easier  for  the 
men  who  do  the  plowing  to  sit  upon  a  seat  and  drive 
three  horses  across  the  field  than  it  is  to  walk  behind 
and  goad  a  yoke  of  oxen  into  motion  by  punching 
them  with  a  pole,  but  in  this  fertile  country  deep 
plowing  is  not  required  and  one  of  these  natives 
could  not  earn  money  enough  in  a  lifetime  to  buy  a 
first-class  outfit. 

AH  they  have  to  do  is  to  scratch  the  surface 
of  the  earth,  plant  their  seed,  open  the  irrigating 
ditch,  turn  on  the  water  and  let  the  crops  grow,  and 
the  plowing  is  not  a  very  important  part. 

However,  when  one  of  these  natives  finishes  a 
field  with  his  wooden  plow,  it  is  very  well  done  and 
looks  very  nice,  and  is  just  exactly  what  they  want 

158 


A    SHAKING    UP 

for  the  kind  of  farming  done  here.  And,  while  it 
takes  a  little  bit  longer,  the  matter  of  time  is  a  very 
little  factor  in  their  affairs.  They  do  not  count  on 
saving  time  down  here  as  we  do  in  the  northern 
states,  nor  do  they  try  very  hard  to  save  labor. 

A  SHAKING  UP. 

After  a  good  night's  sleep  at  the  Hacienda  of 
Don  Felix  Quero,  the  sun  rose  bright  and  was 
throwing  a  few  sly  glances  through  the  one  grated 
window  of  our  room. 

It  was  about  6:45;  and  I  was  listlessly  examin- 
ing the  big  double  jail  door  of  our  establishment 
which  opened  out  into  the  colonnade  surrounding 
the  court.  The  doors  were  locked  with  an  antiquated 
iron  key  seven  inches  long,  which  weighed  about  a 
half  pound.  The  doors  were  further  secured  by  a 
brace  about  six  feet  long,  reaching  from  the  floor  to 
a  crossbar  on  one  of  the  doors  near  the  top. 

All  at  once  there  commenced  a  peculiar  vibra- 
tion which  I  could  not  account  for.  It  seemed  as  if 
a  heavy  wagon  or  truck  was  going  by  close  to  the 
building.  Then  a  shaking  of  the  walls  took  place, 
and  my  wife  said:  "someone  is  trying  to  break  in 
the  window,"  and  she  stepped  to  the  window  to  see 
what  the  difficulty  was.  She  looked  out  and  reported 
nothing  on  the  outside. 

159 


MEXICO    THE    WONDERFUL 

The  motion  became  more  violent  by  this  time, 
and  I  was  certain  someone  was  trying  to  tear  the 
house  down.  Then  the  vibration  became  so  severe 
that  the  tiling  with  which  the  roofs  were  covered 
rattled  together  as  though  someone  was  upsetting  a 
carload  of  empty  jugs  on  top  of  the  house. 

In  the  meantime  the  beds  and  all  the  other  fur- 
niture appeared  to  dance  on  their  legs  and  were 
swaying  backward  and  forward,  and  the  plaster  on 
the  walls,  for  the  ceiling  was  made  of  wooden  beams, 
began  to  loosen  in  patches  and  fall  to  the  floor. 

After  about  one  minute  or  more  of  violent 
vibration,  it  forced  itself  onto  our  dull  comprehen- 
sion that  there  was  an  earthquake  in  operation  and 
that  we  were  in  it. 

The  first  thoughts  that  struck  me  were  what 
would  become  of  us  if  those  big  Queen  Anne  rafters 
in  the  ceiling  should  slip  off  their  bearings,  or  if 
those  big  doors  should  get  cramped  in  their  openings. 
I  thought  it  behooved  us  to  seek  a  place  of  safety, 
and  quicker  than  it  takes  to  tell  it,  I  was  tugging  at 
the  big  lock  and  the  big  doors,  to  get  them  open,  and 
I  did  not  wait  to  make  an  extensive  toilet  before  do- 
ing so,  either,  and  my  wife  was  not  far  in  the  wake. 

As  I  got  the  doors  open  I  found  all  the  Indian 
employes  of  the  house,  and  most  of  the  guests,  in  the 

160 


A    SHAKING    UP 

center  of  the  great  court,  about  ready  for  prayers, 
and  one  woman  who  had  gone  on  the  housetop  to 
see  the  sun  rise,  was  holding  on  to  a  chimney  and 
screaming  for  dear  life. 

Before  I  could  join  the  motley  assembly  in  my 
state  of  undress,  the  earthquake  had  ceased  much 
more  suddenly  than  it  had  commenced,  and  no  seri- 
ous damage  at  this  place  had  been  done. 

The  shake,  however,  was  so  violent  that  the 
water  in  the  large  stone  basin  in  the  center  of  the 
court,  that  rested  several  inches  from  the  top  of  the 
rim,  was  waved  over  the  rim  and  spilled  in  the  court. 
The  shock  was  felt  all  over  this  section  of  the  coun- 
try, and  even  beyond  Orizaba,  some  three  or  four 
hundred  miles,  and  a  new  house  just  finished  by 
the  American  consul  in  Oaxaca  was  completely 
wrecked  and  some  other  houses  in  the  locality  were 
more  or  less  injured. 

Earthquakes  are  common  in  this  part  of  the 
country,  but  this  was  the  severest  shock  that  had 
been  experienced  in  several  years,  and  we  were  told 
that  it  had  been  precipitated  especially  as  a  compli- 
ment to  us  and  to  make  our  visit  more  interesting. 
No  wonder,  however,  there  are  ruins  in  this  country. 
It  is  a  wonder  that  there  are  not  more  of  them. 


161 

—11 


MEXICO    THE    WONDERFUL 

BIG  TREE  OF  TULE. 

Near  the  road  on  the  way  to  Mitla  is  the  big 
tree  of  Tule.  It  is  in  the  village  of  Tule  in  the  church 
yard  of  a  little  chapel  called  Santa  Maria  del 
Tule.  While  this  is  not  so  tall  as  the  biggest  trees  of 
California,  it  is  pretty  well  up  and  it  measures  more 
around  the  trunk  than  most  any  other  tree  in  the 
world,  viz:  one  hundred  and  fifty-four  feet  two 
inches,  six  feet  from  the  ground.  In  its  trunk  is  a 
tablet  inserted  by  the  great  German  traveler,  Hum- 
boldt.  It  was  placed  there  one  hundred  years  ago, 
but  is  now  nearly  grown  over  by  the  bark  which  is 
encroaching  upon  it. 

Near  the  roots  of  the  tree  were  two  circular 
tablets  on  the  ground,  about  eight  feet  in  diameter. 
They  were  made  of  cement  and  served  to  set  forth, 
in  letters  of  considerable  size,  the  name  and  date  of 
some  illustrious  persons  who  had  visited  here  or  who 
had  died  some  other  place  and  were  buried  here. 

The  formation  of  the  letters  struck  me  as  pe- 
culiar, as  each  letter  looked  as  though  it  was  com- 
posed of  a  number  of  small  white  stones,  set  in  the 
mortar  before  it  had  crystallized.  On  closer  exam- 
ination, I  discovered  that  what  appeared  to  be  stones 
were  asses'  teeth,  standing  upright  and  inserted  in 
the  mortar,  as  they  had  once  stood  in  the  jawbones 

162 


BIG    TREE     OF    TULE 

of  this  wonderful  animal  that  is  famous  in  song  and 
holy  writ. 

I  now  could  readily  believe  the  story  about 
Balaam,  for  his  animal,  it  is  recorded,  spoke  to  him 
in  life,  while  these  animals  of  the  same  nature  con- 
vey information  even  in  death.  It  may  have 
been  that  these  natives  thought  they  would  put  their 
speech  in  a  manner  that  would  appeal  to  and  be 
familiar  to  the  American  tourist. 

How  old  this  tree  is,  of  course,  nobody  knows.  It 
was  nearly  as  large  as  now  when  the  Conquest  of 
Mexico  was  made  four  hundred  years  ago.  It  is  esti- 
mated that  some  of  the  great  trees  of  California  are 
ten  thousand  years  old,  and  this  tree  may  be  as  old  as 
they  are,  so  we  must  look  to  the  trees  of  the  forest, 
next  to  the  Creator,  for  the  greatest  span  of  life  on 
earth.  This  tree  was  a  large  pillar  when  Christopher 
Columbus  discovered  America.  It  must  have  been 
well  in  the  air  when  the  pyramids  of  Egypt  were 
built,  and  at  least  a  good  sized  sapling  when  Moses 
led  the  children  through  the  wilderness. 

It  has  stood  through  some  of  the  ancient  and 
all  of  the  modern  turbulent  history  of  Mexico,  and 
if  it  could  talk,  it  might  be  able  to  toll  who  built 
the  temples  round  about  Mitla,  whose  ruins  indi- 

163 


MEXICO    THE    WONDERFUL 

cate  perhaps  the  most  ancient  civilization  the  world 
has  ever  known. 

It  is  of  the  variety  called  by  the  natives 
"Ahuehuetl,"  a  species  of  cypress.  It  was  clothed 
with  a  thick  foliage  of  green  this  hot  winter  day, 
which  was  so  warm  that  we  accepted  with  pleasure 
a  drink  of  cool  water  from  a  stone  cup,  offered  us 
by  a  sweet  faced  Indian  girl,  beneath  the  shade  of 
its  branches. 

OAXACA. 

Before  going  to  Mitla  we  came  to  Oaxaca 
(pronounced  o-ah-hack-ah)  not  a  new  city  by  any 
means,  for  it  stands  to-day  and  its  streets  are  just 
where  they  were  when  Cortez  invaded  the  country 
and  completed  his  Conquest  nearly  five  hundred 
years  ago.  It  was  counted  a  great  city  then  and  it 
is  counted  by  many  a  great  city  now;  not  so  great 
in  population,  as  it  has  only  about  thirty-five  thou- 
sand people,  but  for  several  other  reasons. 

It  has  been  called  "Mora do  de  Heros  en  el 
Jar  din  de  los  Dioses,"  meaning  the  dwelling  place 
of  heroes  in  the  Garden  of  the  Gods.  If  Oaxaca  had 
no  other  distinction,  its  citizens  could  be  proud  of 
it  on  account  of  it  being  the  birth  place  of  some  of 
the  strongest  characters  and  some  .of  the  greatest 

164 


OAXACA 

statesmen  and  generals  that  this  land  of  Mexico 
ever  produced,  and  who  stand  well  up  in  the  ranks 
of  the  world's  greatest  heroes.  It  was  the  birth 
place  of  Benito  Juarez,  a  full-blooded  Indian,  who 
was  born  here  in  1806,  who  did  much  to  bring 
about  the  independence  of  Mexico,  was  elevated 
to  the  position  of  president,  defeated  and  executed 
Maximilian,  and  was  called  the  George  Washing- 
ton of  Mexico. 

It  is  also  the  birthplace  of  Porfirio  Diaz,  another 
Indian,  who  was  born  here  in  1830,  who  fought  in 
the  wars  for  freedom  of  the  Republic,  who  has  been 
president  of  Mexico  for  nearly  thirty  years,  and 
who  is  acknowledged  as  one  of  the  greatest  states- 
men of  this  age. 

There  is  no  record  of  when  the  city  was  founded 
nor  how  long  it  has  existed.  It  has  had  several 
names,  but  the  present  name  was  adopted  October, 
1872.  In  fact,  the  real  name  now  is  "Oaxaca  de 
Juarez,"  in  honor  of  the  illustrious  statesman. 

This  town,  like  all  other  cities  of  Mexico,  has 
suffered  from  the  various  wars,  and  has  been  cap- 
tured and  recaptured  on  several  occasions. 

There  are  a  number  of  new  houses  being  built 
here  at  the  present  time,  and  some  of  them  are  very 
fine  specimens  of  Mexican  and  Spanish  architecture. 

165 


MEXICO    THE    WONDERFUL 

There  are  evidences  of  prosperity  here.  The 
city  has  a  number  of  fine  stores,  a  number  of 
churches,  two  very  fine  cathedrals,  the  state  library, 
several  schools,  a  bad  street  car  system,  several 
beautiful  parks  or  plazas,  and  a  good  sized  brewery. 

The  streets  are  irregularly  paved  in  a  most 
uneven  manner  with  stones  of  all  sizes,  and  a  ride 
over  its  streets  in  one  of  its  hacks,  with  stiff  springs 
and  hard  cushions,  is  an  experience  long  to  be  re- 
membered. The  city  has  no  sewers,  but  has  the 
gutters  that  are  peculiar  to  Mexican  cities,  that 
convey  the  sewage  down  the  middle  of  the  streets. 

Two  cathedrals,  which  are  counted  among  the 
finest  in  Mexico,  are  located  in  this  city.  The  cost 
of  the  more  modern  of  the  two  is  stated  to  have 
been  two  million  dollars,  and  it  is  a  very  graceful 
and  well-constructed  edifice.  The  older  of  the  two 
is  said  to  have  cost  thirteen  million  dollars. 

Its  carvings,  its  paintings,  and  its  statues  and 
images,  so  completely  covered  with  gold  leaf  or 
sheet  gold  that  they  appear  to  be  made  of  pure 
gold,  are  among  the  wonders  of  the  republic.  How- 
ever, all  of  this  building  gives  an  appearance  of 
being  overdone  in  its  elaborateness,  and  on  that 
account  is  hardly  so  pleasing  to  persons  of  a  more 

166 


CHURCH    WONDERS 

cultivated  taste  as  the  other  cathedral  that  is  the 
more  modern  and  did  not  cost  nearly  so  much. 

It  is  really  wonderful  the  amount  of  money 
that  has  been  invested  in  church  property  in  this 
country,  especially  when  the  poverty  of  the  people 
is  considered,  but  in  former  years  the  church  and 
state  went  hand  in  hand,  and  taxes  were  collected 
to  support  the  government  and  to  build  churches 
and  support  the  clergy. 

In  the  many  years  during  which  this  arrange- 
ment existed,  these  fine  structures  were  erected. 
About  all  the  people  can  do  now  or  all  they  are  wil- 
ling to  do  since  there  has  been  a  division  of  church 
and  state,  is  to  support  these  institutions  in  their 
present  grandeur. 

They  are  open,  however,  to  all  classes  of  the 
people,  and  the  poor  seem  to  be  just  as  welcome  as 
anybody  else.  Prayers  are  being  offered  continually 
in  these  cathedrals.  Services  progress  at  all  times, 
and  lots  of  women  and  men  kneel  on  the  marble 
floors  who  have  never  known  what  it  was  to  own  a 
pair  of  shoes  or  to  have  a  respectable  garment. 

There  is  whole  lots  of  history  in  connection 
with  this  town,  but  as  we  did  not  come  here  to 
study  history  nor  to  write  it,  we  will  pass  over  that, 
at  least  for  the  time  being. 

167 


MEXICO    THE    WONDERFUL 

Oaxaca  is  the  center  of  a  rich  mining  district 
and  there  are  all  kinds  of  rumors  of  rich  strikes 
that  are  always  current  about  a  mining  center. 
Most  of  the  mines  are  operated  by  Americans  and 
there  seems  to  be  considerable  activity  in  the  min- 
ing business  here  at  this  time.  Gold,  silver  and  lead 
are  found  in  generous  quantities. 

So  far,  however,  mining  has  not  been  extremely 
profitable,  as  there  has  been  no  smelting  works 
except  those  reached  by  a  long  railroad  haul  and, 
as  usual,  the  railroads  have  fixed  their  tariff  at  all 
the  traffic  would  bear  and  getting  the  ore  to  the 
smelter  has  been  very  expensive. 

There  is  a  movement  on  foot  now,  however, 
to  put  up  a  smelting  works  here  at  an  expense  of 
something  like  five  minion  dollars,  which,  if  done, 
will  give  an  added  impetus  to  the  mining  industry 
and  will  add  greatly  to  the  welfare  of  the  city. 

There  is  a  good  hotel  here,  which  is  conducted 
by  an  American  family,  and  the  good  service  which 
they  extend  and  the  excellence  of  their  table  makes 
this  one  of  the  most  agreeable  places  to  stop  in  the 
entire  republic. 

We  returned  to  Oaxaca  by  the  same  long  road 
from  Mitla,  and  in  the  market  we  bought  beautiful 
roses,  almost  like  American  beauties,  for  six  cents  a 

168 


ALSO    A    BREWERY 

dozen,  and  our  women  folks  raved  over  the  well- 
made  but  odd-shaped  pottery  which  is  peculiar  to 
this  locality,  and  which  can  be  bought  in  the  mar- 
kets for  a  song.  We  went  out  to  see  the  sad  havoc 
that  had  been  wrought  upon  the  American  consul's 
house  by  the  earthquake.  On  the  way  we  saw  many 
new  buildings  in  the  course  of  construction.  We 
passed  a  lovely  park,  or  plaza,  with  a  bronze  statue 
therein  of  Benito  Juarez.  Then  we  came  to  a 
brewery,  operated  by  a  Scotchman,  which  we  mis- 
took for  a  hotel.  Think  of  that  combination:  a 
bonnie  Scotchman  running  a  German  brewery  in  the 
hot  country  of  Mexico,  in  a  building  fronting  on 
the  great  plaza  in  the  shade  of  Juarez'  statue  and  in 
a  house  that  looks  more  like  a  hotel  than  a  brewery, 
and  advertising  "the  Beer  That  Made  Milwaukee 
Jealous. ' ' 

But  his  beer  was  cool  and  like  the  waters  of 
salvation  was  given  freely  and  without  price,  and 
several  of  our  party  partook  of  his  hospitality  and 
drank  to  Juarez,  to  Porfirio  Diaz,  to  the  greatness  of 
Mexico,  George  Washington  and  the  United  States, 
and  finally  a  libation  to  the  misfortune  that  had 
overtaken  our  representative  in  the  destruction  of 
his  new  home  and  the  hope  that  it  would  soon  be 
restored. 

169 


The  Tenth  Letter* 


THE    SOUTHERN    CROSS. 

Most  everyone  has  heard  of  the  Southern  Cross, 
a  constellation  of  stars  which  to  the  manner  in  the 
southern  seas  is  what  the  North  Star  is  to  the  pilot 
while  traversing  the  waters  of  the  northern  half  of 
the  globe. 

We  were  now  far  enough  south,  being  at  Oaxaca, 
although  not  south  of  the  equator,  to  see  the 
Southern  Cross,  under  certain  circumstances,  but  not 
where  it  could  be  seen  every  hour  of  the  night,  as  it 
may  be  south  of  the  equator.  It  can  only  be  observed 
between  two  and  four  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and 
best  at  the  exact  hour  of  three  o'clock,  and  from  the 
housetop  then. 

The  proprietor  of  the  hotel  kindly  offered  to 
wake  us  at  that  time.  So  we  put  our  names  on  the 
"  wake-up "  list  for  the  Southern  Cross  at  three 
o'clock,  and  were  promptly  awakened  at  that  melan- 

170 


THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

choly  hour  with  the  cheering  announcement  that  the 
sky  was  too  cloudy  to  see  the  constellation. 

This  was  such  valuable  information  that  the 
landlord  thought  we  ought  to  be  awakened  to  learn 
it.  Having  been  aroused,  we  concluded  to  go  upon 
the  roof  and  wait  until  the  clouds  rolled  by. 

People  who  live  in  the  states  in  frame  houses 
with  gabled  roofs  shingled,  or  in  Queen  Anne  houses 
with  saw-tooth  edges  splitting  the  sky,  and  where 
it  is  necessary  to  crawl  up  through  a  clothes  closet 
and  open  a  trap-door  to  get  out  on  the  roof  only  to 
fall  off  and  break  your  neck,  can  hardly  understand 
what  a  handy  and  essential  part  of  a  house  the  roof  is 
here. 

Here  the  roofs  are  all  nearly  flat,  and  they  are 
frequently  paved  with  bricks  or  blocks  of  stone,  laid 
in  cement,  or  made  of  cement  like  sidewalks  or 
streets  in  the  United  States,  and  besides  being  used 
to  keep  the  water  off,  are  also  used  for  various  pur- 
poses as  Americans  use  their  door  yards. 

In  this  case  a  substantial  cement  stairway  led 
up  to  the  first  roof  and  then  a  pair  of  wooden  stairs 
to  a  higher  elevation.  After  dodging  a  clothesline  or 
two,  our  view  was  cut  off  by  an  arrangement  that 
loomed  up  before  us  that  I  could  not  very  well  dis- 
cern in  the  darkness.  It  seemed  to  be  another  house 

171 


MEXICO    THE    WONDERFUL 

in  a  small  door  yard  with  a  picket  fence  around  it. 
The  landlord  explained  that  it  was  the  chicken  yard 
and  hen  coop,  where  they  kept  the  chickens  for  the 
hotel.  The  explanation  and  the  arrangement  being 
entirely  satisfactory,  we  worked  our  way  around  the 
encumbrance  and  waited  for  clear  weather. 


We  hadn't  long  to  wait,  for  the  southern  sky 
soon  cleared  and  the  renowned  Southern  Gross  stood 
out  before  us.  The  cross  is  composed  of  five  stars, 
two  bright  stars  representing  what  would  be  the 
terminals  of  the  upright  of  the  cross  and  two  other 
bright  stars  representing  what  would  be  the  terminals 
of  the  arms  of  the  cross,  if  lines  were  drawn  between 
them  (all  of  these  stars  are  of  the  second  magnitude), 
and  there  is  one  indistinct  star  which  cannot  always 

172 


THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

be  seen,  where  the  arms  would  cross  the  upright,  and 
where  they  would  naturally  be  secured  thereto.  The 
two  stars  representing  the  bar  are  shifted  some,  so 
that  lines  drawn  between  the  four  terminal  stars 
would  indicate  a  cross  with  the  arms  shifted  one  end 
a  trifle  higher  than  the  other.  The  Southern  Cross  is 
not  a  startling  thing  to  see,  and  some  people  are  dis- 
appointed when  it  is  pointed  out  to  them,  but  having 
heard  of  it  so  many  times  for  so  many  years,  I  felt 
repaid  for  the  exertion,  trouble  and  inconvenience 
that  had  been  necessary  to  get  a  glimpse  of  it. 

You  know  it  is  a  greater  thing  to  be  able  to  say 
that  you  have  seen  the  Southern  Cross  than  it  really 
is  to  see  it,  because  there  are  so  few  people  who  have 
had  that  privilege.  Of  the  fifty  thousand  people  liv- 
ing in  any  ordinary  community  in  the  middle  west, 
if  there  is  one  out  of  each  two  thousand,  or  a  total 
of  twenty-five  out  of  the  whole  fifty  thousand,  who 
have  seen  this  constellation,  I  would  like  to  have 
them  stand  up  and  be  counted. 


173 


MEXICO    THE    WONDERFUL 

TLAXCALA. 

"Wherever  God  erects  a  house  of  prayer, 
The  Devil  always  builds  a  chapel  there; 
And  'twill  be  found  upon  examination, 
The  latter  has  the  largest  congregation." 

"Vamanos"  in  Spanish  is  equivalent  to  "all 
aboard"  in  English,  so  at  6:15  a.  m.,  after  a  short 
night's  sleep,  following  several  days  in  and  about 
Oaxaca,  we  were  on  the  train  headed  north  and  ready 
to  start.  The  conductor  waved  his  hand  and  cried 
out  "Vamanos,"  and  the  train  was  off  for  another 
thirteen  hours'  run  to  Puebla,  where  we  were  to  rest 
over  night  before  starting  on  a  visit  to  Tlaxcala. 

Arriving  at  Puebla  we  met  a  distinguished  gen- 
tleman and  an  old  friend  of  ours  in  the  person  of  a 
newspaper  man  who  has  the  distinction  of  owning  or 
operating  three  daily  papers  in  an  adjoining  state. 
He  was  traveling  through  Mexico  with  his  wife  and 
daughter,  writing  letters  for  publication  in  his 
various  newspapers  at  home. 

Ai  we  were  also  engaged  in  the  same  sort  of 
work,  we  recognized  in  hi™  a  compatriot  in  crime, 
and,  with  the  consent  of  the  members  of  the  "thir- 
teen club,"  we  invited  him  to  go  with  us  to  the  city 
of  Tlaxcala,  one  of  the  most  interesting  points  in 
this  country. 

Tlaxcala  is  reached  by  an  inter-urban  or  street 

174 


THE    OLDEST    CHURCH 

railway  line,  some  six  or  eight  miles  from  the  village 
of  Santa  Anna,  which  is  on  the  line  of  the  railway. 
As  there  was  nothing  very  good  in  the  line  of  hotel 
accommodations,  at  either  Santa  Anna  or  Tlaxcala, 
we  concluded  to  take  our  noonday  lunch  with  us 
from  Puebla  and  to  eat  it  in  our  special  car,  which 
was  to  lay  over  between  trains  at  Santa  Anna. 

Tlaxcala  (pronounced  Tlazcala)  is  the  capital  of 
the  State  of  Tlaxcala  and  has  a  population  of  four 
thousand.  It  is  located  at  an  altitude  of  seven  thou- 
sand five  hundred  and  six  feet,  or  a  trifle  higher  than 
the  City  of  Mexico.  At  the  time  of  the  Conquest  it 
boasted  of  a  population  of  three  hundred  thousand 
inhabitants,  so  it  would  appear  that  instead  of  hav- 
ing met  with  a  boom,  it  seems  to  have  suffered  from 
a  boomerang. 

Notwithstanding  it  is  so  far  above  the  sea  level, 
it  is  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  high  hills.  The  name 
indicates  the  "Land  of  Bread." 

It  is  the  location  of  the  oldest  Christian  church 
in  the  western  world,  the  structure  still  standing  as 
it  was  originally  built,  but  with  some  later  additions 
thereto. 

From  the  front  door  of  this  old  church,  and  in 
close  proximity  to  the  same,  there  can  be  seen  one  of 
the  oldest  bull  rings  in  the  republic,  while  next  door 

175 


MEXICO    THE    WONDERFUL 

to  the  church  is  a  prison,  and  in  the  floor  of  and 
about  the  church  are  many  graves.  This  appeared  to 
me  to  assemble  a  remarkable  collection  of  ideas : 

The  church  to  teach  the  love  of  God;  the  bull 
ring  to  pander  to  the  brutality  of  man;  the  priest  to 
tell  men  to  do  better;  the  officers  of  the  law  to  re- 
strain them  from  being  worse ;  and  finally  the  grave 
to  cover  all  their  faults  and  foibles  and  hold  their 
bodies  for  the  final  day  of  resurrection,  and  the  life 
to  come. 

Most  every  tourist  to  Mexico  visits  this  little 
city,  more  particularly  to  see  this  first  Christian 
church.  The  city  abounds  in  interesting  relics  of 
ancient  time,  and  much  of  the  history  of  Mexico  has 
its  initial  point  at  this  place. 

The  state  capitol  building,  which  dates  from  the 
Conquest,  is  located  in  this  city,  is  well  furnished, 
and  we  had  the  pleasure  of  going  through  it  and  of 
meeting  and  shaking  hands  with  the  governor.  Our 
interview,  however,  was  not  very  interesting,  as  he 
did  not  talk  English  and  we  could  not  understand 
Spanish,  and  from  the  further  fact  that  he  had  no 
time  to  devote  to  us,  and  we  had  no  time  to  waste  on 
a  governor. 

The  church,  which  bears  the  name  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, was  erected  here,  having  been  commenced  in 

176 


THE     OLDEST     CHUSCH 

1521  and  completed  in  the  year  1544.  It  is  of  pecu- 
liar and  original  architecture.  It  contains  a  pulpit 
from  which  the  gospel  was  first  preached,  on  this 
side  of  the  world,  which  is  a  wonderful  example  of 
filigree  work  and  carvings.  It  also  contains  beauti- 
ful embroidered  gold  vestments  which  were  brought 
over  from  Spain  for  the  solemnization  of  service  in 
this  church  centuries  ago.  The  baptismal  font  still 
remains,  where  four  Indian  senators  were  baptized 
at  the  time  of  the  Conquest. 

This  old  temple  is  more  than  worth  a  visit  at 
any  time.  It  is  a  marvelous  curiosity  on  account  of 
its  architectural  richness  and  is  a  masterpiece  of 
skillful  work.  One-half  of  the  sanctuary  is  of  an 
architecture  of  the  remote  time  at  which  it  was 
built.  The  walls  are  completely  covered  with  fine 
chiseling  of  the  most  exquisite  nature.  The  other 
half  of  the  temple,  being  an  enlargement  of  the 
original  and  built  many  years  later,  is  of  a  more 
modern  style  of  architecture.  It  has,  however,  some 
evidence  of  artistic  workmanship. 

In  the  floors  of  this  old  church,  as  stated  above, 
are  the  graves  of  a  number  of  distinguished  clergy- 
men or  statesmen,  who  have  been  buried  here  in 
times  long  past.  This  is  a  custom  that  prevails  in 

177 

—12 


MEXICO    THE   WONDERFUL 

many  of  the  older  countries  and  has  been  followed 
to  some  extent  even  in  the  United  States. 

Of  course  we  all  know  there  are  the  remains  of 
a  number  of  distinguished  people  resting  in 
Westminster  Abbey  in  London,  and  beneath  the 
floors  of  the  Cathedral  St.  Louis,  in  New  Orleans, 
there  are  the  remains  of  a  number  of  persons ;  also, 
in  other  cathedrals  or  churches  in  other  states. 

This  old  church  contains  a  number  of  crucifixes 
and  life-size  recumbent  figures  of  the  Saviour,  which 
have  evidently  been  here  many  years,  as  well  as  the 
figures  of  saints  and  martyrs,  which,  with  their  rep- 
resentations of  wounds  and  blood,  are  so  grim  and 
realistic  that  they  give,  in  connection  with  the  tombs, 
a  very  grewsome  effect. 

After  spending  some  time  in  the  church  it  was 
a  considerable  relief  to  stand  again  in  the  open  air 
away  from  crucifixes  and  graves  and  view  the  beau- 
tiful valley  surrounding  the  eminence  on  which  the 
church  is  located. 

In  connection  with  the  church  was  formerly  an 
old  monastery  or  nunnery  which,  several  years  ago, 
when  the  differences  between  the  government  and 
the  church  party  occurred,  was  confiscated,  and  is 
now  used  as  barracks  for  soldiers  and  a  prison  for 
a  number  of  persons  who  are  incarcerated  therein. 

178 


TLAXCALA    MUSEUM 

We  called  on  the  prisoners,  but  did  not  recognize 
any  of  our  friends,  which  we  might  have  done  in 
similar  institutions  nearer  home. 

Among  other  historic  relics  of  merit  either  in 
this  church  or  the  state  museum  here,  are  a  number 
of  old  paintings  of  great  value,  portraits  of  principal 
people  of  old  times,  etc.,  and  the  cloak  of  an  Indian 
who  belonged  to  the  nobility  at  the  time  of  the  Con- 
quest and  who  was  the  first  of  his  race  to  be  bap- 
tized in  this  country. 

The  museum  also  contains  the  city  charter  given 
to  this  city  by  Philip  II,  King  of  Spain,  in  the  six- 
teenth century,  and  interesting  plans  and  maps  of 
various  things  and  genealogical  trees  representing 
ancient  Indian  nobility.  There  are  a  number  of 
genuine  idols  in  the  museum  which  were  worshiped 
by  the  former  inhabitants  of  this  country.  In  con- 
nection with  the  museum  was  a  modern  school  in 
operation,  which  seemed  to  differ  but  very  little 
from  any  other  small  school.  The  rooms  were  well 
equipped  with  wall  charts,  maps,  etc.,  and  the  teach- 
ers were  neatly  dressed  and  appeared  to  be  intelli- 
gent young  women.  The  pupils  were  dressed  some- 
what better  than  the  average  run  of  Mexican  chil. 
dren. 

After  a  few  hours  spent  in  the  town  we  again 

179 


MEXICO   THE  WONDERFUL 

took  the  street  car,  which  carried  us  back  to  the 
main  line  of  railway.  The  line  led  down  through 
the  valley  up  which  Cortes  marched  his  troops  to 
capture  this  capital  of  the  Tlaxcalans,  four  centuries 
ago. 

History  records  that  he  fought  five  great  battles 
with  these  people  and  that  they  were  finally  forced 
to  surrender  and  from  that  time  forward  they  were 
allies  of  Cortez  and  assisted  him  in  the  overthrow  of 
the  Cholulans  and  in  his  wars  on  the  forces  of 
Montezuma. 

It  was  by  their  aid  that  Cortez  finally  made  a 
success  of  his  Conquest  instead  of  being  completely 
exterminated,  as  he  would  have  been  except  for  the 
assistance  of  the  Tlaxcalans. 

As  we  moved  down  through  the  valleys  from 
the  city  in  a  tram  car,  we  were  followed  by  about 
all  the  ragged  small  boys  in  the  settlement,  who 
kept  pretty  good  pace  with  the  galloping  mules,  with 
a  continual  cry  of  "uno  centavo,"  which  means 
' ' one  cent, "  or  '  'give  me  one  cent ! "  It  was  amus- 
ing to  see  them  join  in  a  free-for-all  "scrabble"  for 
the  coppers  as  they  were  thrown  to  them. 

At  every  town  or  railway  station  in  Mexico  you 
are  besieged  by  a  lot  of  urchins,  who  continually  cry 
"uno  centavo,"  and  this  has  been  encouraged  for 

180 


AFTER    DINNER    SPEECHES 

several  years  by  the  tourists,  who  throw  them  pen- 
nies for  the  amusement  in  seeing  them  contest  for 
the  coveted  prize. 

When  we  had  arrived  at  our  car  on  the  main 
track  we  found  that  our  picnic  dinner,  which  con- 
sisted of  roast  chicken,  boiled  ham,  roast  beef,  bread 
and  butter,  pie,  cake,  oranges  and  bananas  and  nice 
yellow  pineapples,  that  we  had  bought  while  pass- 
ing through  the  country,  together  with  iced  tea  and 
lemonade  made  a  very  enjoyable  repast.  The  din- 
ner was  one  of  the  most  pleasing  incidents  of  the 
whole  trip. 

As  this  was  the  last  day  that  our  party  was  to 
be  together,  we  held  a  sort  of  reunion,  passed  reso- 
lutions, inflicted  after  dinner  speeches  on  each  other 
that  at  least  in  our  own  imagination  bristled  with 
oratory  and  sparkled  with  gems  of  learning  and 
wit.  I  would  like  to  repeat,  if  I  had  room,  some 
of  the  good  old  stories  that  were  told  on  that  occa- 
sion, because  some  of  them  were  so  old  that  I  am 
sure  you  would  agree  with  me  that  they  would  fit 
in  extremely  well  with  the  ancient  architecture  that 
we  had  come  here  to  look  up. 

IN  THE  PALACE  OF  AN  EMPEROR. 

We  arrived  in  the  City  of  Mexico  about  seven 

181 


MEXICO    THE    WONDERFUL 

o'clock  in  the  evening,  and  it  seemed  as  though  all 
the  carriages  in  the  western  world  were  assembled 
at  the  station  to  meet  us.  We  selected  one  and  were 
conveyed  to  the  Hotel  Iturbide,  which  was  formerly 
the  palace  of  the  unfortunate  emperor  of  that  name. 

We  stopped  at  this  house  for  two  reasons:  one, 
that  it  is  still  the  leading  hotel  in  Mexico,  and  the 
other,  the  sentiment  attached  to  the  old  structure. 
When  you  transact  business  on  a  sentimental  basis, 
you  usually  pay  something  for  the  sentimental  part 
of  the  transaction,  and  this  is  the  case  when  stopping 
within  the  confines  of  this  ancient  pile  of  stuff  which 
by  courtesy  is  designated  as  a  hotel. 

Iturbide,  who  occupied  this  palace,  was  one  of 
the  first  men  in  Mexico  to  take  up  the  fight  for  in- 
dependence, which  was  started  by  Hidalgo  in  1810. 
Iturbide  thought  that  Mexico  should  have  an  inde- 
pendent government — independent  of  Spain  or  any 
other  nation,  and  also  that  he  should  be  emperor  of 
Mexico.  He  proclaimed  himself,  or  was  proclaimed, 
emperor,  on  July  21,  1822,  but  occupied  the  position 
for  only  nine  months,  at  the  end  of  which  time,  by 
arrangement  with  the  more  superior  organization 
which  was  formed  against  him,  he  abdicated  the 
throne  and  agreed  to  get  off  the  earth  or  go  to 
England  or  some  other  place. 

182 


IN   AN   EMPEROR'S   PALACE 

The  government  of  Mexico,  in  consideration  of 
this  arrangement,  made  an  allowance  in  his  favor 
of  $25,000  per  year  for  his  past  services,  with  the 
distinct  understanding  that  he  should  remain  out  of 
the  country. 

While  in  England  he  wrote  a  letter  back  to 
Mexico,  accusing  the  clergy  of  conspiring  against 
the  state.  On  this  account,  the  church  party  having 
the  "pull,"  he  was  declared  a  traitor  by  the  Mexi- 
can congress  that  governed  Mexico  at  that  time, 
with  a  decree  that  should  he  return  to  Mexico  he 
would  be  shot. 

There  being  no  telegraph  or  Atlantic  cables  at 
that  time,  Iturbide  did  not  learn  of  the  edict,  but 
concluded  to  return  to  Mexico,  which  he  did.  He 
landed  at  Sota  la  Marina,  a  little  town  on  the  gulf 
coast  north  of  Tampico.  Immediately  on  his  arrival 
he  was  arrested,  taken  before  the  legislature  of  the 
state  of  Tamaulipas,  then  in  session,  condemned  to 
death,  and  was  shot  July  19,  1824 ;  and  this  was  the 
end  of  the  first  empire  and  the  first  emperor  of 
Mexico,  except  that  the  government  voted  his  family 
a  pension  of  eight  thousand  dollars  per  year. 

To  Iturbide  must  be  accorded  the  distinction  of 
having  established  the  final  independence  of  Mexico. 

183 


MEXICO  THE  WONDERFUL 

His  conversion  to  the  cause  was  almost  as  remark- 
able as  the  conversion  of  St.  Paul.  He  was  a  rank 
Royalist  and  on  February  3, 1814,  as  the  representa- 
tive of  the  Crown,  caused  the  execution  of  Mata. 
moras,  the  patriot,  but  in  seven  days  thereafter  an- 
nounced his  own  adherence  to  the  cause  and  took 
up  the  fight  which  finally  led  to  his  own  execution. 
Iturbide  left  a  son,  who  was  educated  in  the 
United  States  in  a  college  near  Washington,  D.  C. 
He  married  an  American  lady  named  Green,  a 
daughter  of  the  distinguished  General  Green,  of 
Washington,  D.  C.  He  returned  to  Mexico  at  the 
time  Maximilian  reigned  as  emperor.  Maximilian 
and  Carlotta,  having  no  children  of  their  own, 
adopted  his  son,  Iturbide  III.,  as  their  heir,  with  the 
intention  of  having  him  succeed  Maximilian  as 
emperor.  On  the  collapse  of  the  second  empire  and 
the  execution  of  Maximilian,  young  Iturbide  was 
restored  to  his  parents,  and  I  think  is  still  living  in 
Mexico. 

I  was  told  that  the  palace  now  operated  as  a 
hotel  is  still  the  property  of  the  Iturbide  family. 
The  building  is  in  the  shape  of  a  Maltese  cross  in  the 
center  of  a  very  large  block,  three  arms  or  wings 
opening  out  on  three  streets,  and  the  fourth  extend- 

184 


IN    AN    EMPEROR'S    PALACE 

ing  well  back  to  the  rear  side  of  the  block;  the  four 
corners  of  the  block  being  filled  in  with  store  build- 
ings and  other  hotels.  The  structure  embraces 
several  courts,  surrounded  by  colonnades,  as  is  the 
custom  in  Mexico.  The  cafe,  which  has  a  good  or- 
chestra, is  located  in  one  of  the  courts,  and  presents  a 
pleasant  appearance,  being  embellished  with  palms, 
flowers  and  a  fountain  with  gold  fish. 

The  hotel  is  kept  in  a  very  peculiar  manner,  as 
most  hotels  in  Mexico  are.  It  is  run  on  the  European 
plan,  that  is,  you  pay  for  your  room,  then  eat  when 
and  where  you  please  at  your  own  expense.  When 
the  guest  registers,  he  is  assigned  to  a  room  and  his 
name  written  on  a  large  blackboard  on  one  side  of 
the  office.  From  that  time  forth  he  is  turned  over  to 
the  tender  mercies  of  the  porter,  who  has  charge  of 
the  particular  floor  on  which  he  chances  to  be  lo- 
cated, and  has  no  further  business  in  the  office,  ex- 
cept to  go  down  every  day  and  fight  for  his  mail, 
until  he  is  ready  to  pay  his  bill  and  depart. 

The  office,  mostly  of  glass,  is  located  between 
two  of  the  main  courts.  At  ten  o'clock  in  the 
evening  wooden  shutters  are  put  up  entirely  around 
the  office  to  protect  the  glass,  the  key  is  turned  in  the 
door,  and  the  business  part  of  the  hotel  is  closed 
until  the  next  morning. 

185 


MEXICO  THE  WONDERFUL 

The  man  who  has  charge  of  the  general  manage- 
ment of  the  hotel  is  a  gray-bearded  gentleman,  who, 
for  some  reason  or  other,  never  takes  off  his  hat  while 
on  duty.  He  is  very  polite,  very  slow  and  apparently 
never  worries  Himself  about  anything,  not  even  the 
comfort  of  his  guests,  and  does  not  have  much  to  do 
except  to  say,  "sorry,  I  cannot  accommodate  you,  all 
our  rooms  are  engaged,"  which  is  usually  the  truth 
during  the  busy  season  of  the  year. 

If  the  senior  Iturbide  did  not  run  the  empire 
any  more  satisfactorily  than  his  successors  appear  to 
run  the  hotel  business,  it  is  hardly  to  be  wondered  at 
that  he  came  to  such  an  untimely  end. 

There  are  a  number  of  other  hotels  in  Mexico 
City,  and  some  hotels  very  well  kept,  but  they  are 
not  up  to  the  size  of  the  city  nor  the  demands  of 
travelers.  It  appears  to  me  that  the  City  of  Mexico 
presents  the  best  opening  for  a  grand  big  hotel  that 
could  be  found  most  anywhere,  unless  it  be  Havana, 
in  Cuba.  It  would  require,  however,  a  very  large 
amount  of  capital  to  put  up  in  Mexico  such  a  hotel 
as  the  conditions  would  seem  to  warrant. 

After  all,  there  is  an  air  of  aristocracy  and  sun- 
dry evidences  of  past  grandeur  about  the  old  palace 
which  are  very  fascinating.  Nearly  every  great 
traveler  of  the  whole  world  and  nearly  all  the  great 

186 


IN  AN  EMPEROR'S  PALACE 

and  rich  men  of  many  countries  who  have  visited 
Mexico,  have  stopped  and  rested  within  these  walls. 

As  you  tread  through  the  stone  paved  courts  and 
pass  through  the  dingy  corridors  and  observe  the 
coat  of  arms  of  the  one  time  emperor  carved  in  stone 
over  the  door,  and  remember  how  his  short  reign  and 
occupancy  of  this  old  building  was  but  a  gilded 
nightmare,  which  finally  led  to  a  tragic  end,  you  for- 
get how  much  it  lacks  of  being  a  strictly  up-to-date 
hotel. 

Then  when  you  see  millionaires  dropping  their 
arrogance,  crowding  into  the  little  office,  begging  and 
besieging  the  gray-bearded  Chesterfield  for  rooms, 
and  then  see  him  politely  but  irrevocably  turn  them 
down,  and  then  have  them  cast  envious  eyes  at  you 
and  your  big  airy  room,  you  imagine  that  it  was  your 
own  particular  smartness  that  enabled  you  to  get 
here  just  as  somebody  else  had  vacated  a  room  which 
you  chanced  to  get. 

You  then  congratulate  yourself  that  you  are  not 
like  other  men,  who  have  no  rooms  at  all,  nor  any 
place  to  lay  their  heads  in  this  way-off  strange  city. 

Then  when  you  realize  that  you  are  in  the  grand 
old  City  of  Mexico,  with  all  its  wonders,  with  all  its 
treasures,  its  beauty,  its  arts,  its  history  and  its  tra- 

187 


MEXICO  THE  WONDERFUL 

ditions,  which  yon  have  heard  so  much  of,  and  have 
so  longed  to  see,  you  go  to  rest  anxious  for  the  com- 
ing of  the  early  day,  fully  determined  to  go  forth 
and  see  in  that  one  day  more  than  can  possibly  be 
seen  in  a  good  long  month.  And  then  you  go  to  bed, 
and  no  doubt  you  sleep  better  than  poor  old  Iturbidt 
did  when  he  was  here. 


188 


The  Eleventh  Letter. 


MEXICO  CITY  TO  CUERNAVACA. 

We  remained  several  days  in  Mexico  City.  Then 
we  made  a  visit  of  a  few  days  in  Guernavaca  and  then 
returned  to  the  city.  I  have  concluded  that  it  would 
be  best  to  tell  first  of  our  trip  to  Guernavaca,  and 
later  undertake  the  more  extensive  work  of  attempt- 
ing to  describe  the  capital 

Guernavaca  is  a  trifle  west  of  south  of  the  City 
of  Mexico,  a  distance  by  rail  of  seventy-four  miles; 
by  air  line  it  is  a  little  more  than  half  that  distance. 
It  is  on  the  line  of  railway  that  now  ends  at  Balsas, 
but  it  is  the  intention  to  continue  this  line  eventually 
to  the  Pacific  coast,  thus  connecting  the  City  of 
Mexico  with  the  coast  in  this  direction.  This  is,  com- 
paratively speaking,  a  new  railway,  but  is  far  from 
being  a  new  route.  Hundreds  of  years  ago  this  same 
route  was  used  between  the  capital  and  the  Pacific 
ocean  and  a  great  part  thereof,  if  not  all,  was  con- 
nected by  a  solid  stone  military  road. 

189 


MEXICO  THE  WONDERFUL 

Before  the  Suez  Canal  was  opened  this  was  part 
of  the  old  route  from  Spain  to  the  Orient,  coming  by 
the  Atlantic  to  Vera  Cruz  through  Mexico  to  the 
Pacific  and  then  by  the  waters  of  that  ocean  to  Bom- 
bay or  Calcutta.  That  part  beginning  at  Vera  Cruz 
passing  through  Mexico  City  and  then  going  to  the 
Pacific  was  up  and  down  through  these  same  valleys 
that  are  now  occupied  by  the  railway  and  traversed 
by  its  trains. 

In  those  days  the  trip  was  made  in  oxcarts  or 
by  foot  and  required  weeks  and  months,  where  now 
it  is  made  in  palatial  cars  and  is  accomplished  in 
hours,  requiring  hardly  a  single  day  to  make  the 
distance  from  Vera  Cruz  to  the  west  end  of  the 
railway. 

The  trip  from  Mexico  City  to  Cuernavaca  is  re- 
markable in  many  respects. 

After  leaving  the  station  you  pass  Chapulte- 
pec  Castle,  and  the  battlefields  where  the  old  hero, 
Hidalgo,  won  a  great  victory  for  independence 
before  he  lost  his  head  in  that  same  good  work,  and 
where  our  United  States  troops  fought  and  won  a 
great  battle  from  the  Mexicans  in  1847,  under  Gen. 
Scott. 

Did  you  ever  hear  of  the  Yankee's  prayer  on 
that  occasion?  I  looked  for  the  tree  but  could  not 

190 


TO    CUERNAVACA 

distinguish  which  one  it  was,  under  the  branches 
of  which  one  of  the  Yankee  soldiers  delivered  his 
well  answered  prayer.  It  was  somewhat  as  follows: 

"Dear  Lord,  please  listen  to  to  me  now.  You 
know  I  don't  bother  you  very  often — very  seldom 
indeed — but  I  want  to  ask  of  you  a  special  favor  at 
this  time.  We  are  going  in  to  battle  tomorrow. 
There  is  only  a  handful  of  us  Yankees  and  a  whole 
big  army  of  greasers.  If  you  can  help  us,  I  wish  you 
would,  but  if  you  can't  help  us,  why,  then,  for  the 
Lord's  sake,  don't  help  the  greasers,  but  just  stand 
off  with  your  hands  in  your  pockets  and  you  will  see 
the  hottest  and  most  active  fight  you  ever  saw  in 
your  life,  and  you  will  see  the  greasers  licked  to  a 
finish.  Yours  respectfully,  Amen." 

In  traveling  by  railroad  from  Mexico  to  Cuer- 
navaca,  the  first  thirty-six  miles  is  up  grade  to  a 
small  station  called  Cima,  which  has  an  elevation 
of  ten  thousand  feet,  or  two  thousand  six  hundred 
and  fifty-one  feet  higher  than  Mexico  City, 
where  you  start.  This  being  the  summit,  you  com- 
mence a  descent  to  Cuernavaca,  the  grade  in  thirty- 
eight  miles  amounting  to  five  thousand  feet,  and 
the  next  station  beyond  that  is  nearly  two  thousand 
feet  still  lower. 

On  one  side  of  the  divide  you  have  a  beautiful 

191 


MEXICO  THE  WONDERFUL 

view  of  the  valley  and  City  of  Mexico.  On  the  other 
side  of  the  divide  you  can  see  the  city  of  Cuernavaca 
in  the  valley  below,  nearly  one  hour  and  a  half  be- 
fore you  arrive  there. 

As  the  train  passes  over  the  divide  the  air 
brakes,  which  have  been  carefully  examined,  are 
set  tight  on  the  rims  of  the  wheels  to  prevent  too 
rapid  a  run  down  the  long  incline,  and  by  the  time 
half  of  the  distance  between  Cima  and  Cuernavaca 
is  passed,  the  wheels  are  smoking  hot.  A  stop  of  ten 
minutes  is  then  made  to  let  the  overheated  wheels 
cool  down. 

Then  a  start  is  made  for  Cuernavaca  and  as  the 
train  rolls  into  that  station,  the  oil  on  the  wheels  is 
sizzling  like  frying  ham  and  water  thrown  upon 
them  will  dance  off  as  though  poured  on  a  very  hot 
iron.  The  friction  on  the  brake  shoes  is  so  great 
that  they  must  be  renewed  every  day  on  the  cars  that 
run  on  this  line,  and  the  curves  are  so  sharp  that 
the  flanges  on  the  wheels  wear  the  rails  to  such  an 
extent  that  after  the  rails  have  been  used  one  way 
for  a  certain  length  of  time  they  are  taken  up  and 
the  sides  that  have  been  worn  away  are  placed  on 
the  outside  of  the  track  and  the  heretofore  unused 
side  comes  in  contact  with  the  wheel  flanges,  until 

192 


TO  CUERNAVACA 

the  rails  are  unfit  for  track  use.  After  this  they 
are  taken  up  and  used  as  telegraph  poles. 

The  Aztec  name  of  this  place  was  "Cuauh- 
nahuac,"  meaning  near  the  mountain  or  near  the 
trees,  but  this  was  too  long  for  the  Spaniards,  who 
shortened  the  name  to  ' '  Cuernavaca, "  which,  while 
sounding  better,  has  hardly  so  poetic  a  meaning. 
The  latter  name  when  translated  means  a  cow's 
horn. 

Cuernavaca  is  another  one  of  the  old  quaint 
towns  that  are  found  in  Mexico.  It  is  remarkable 
for  its  oddities  and  for  its  beautiful  surroundings. 
While  from  the  top  of  the  high  mountains  it  ap- 
pears to  be  in  the  valley,  when  you  reach  the 
station  you  find  you  must  go  up  through  a  series  of 
considerable  hills  to  reach  the  town. 

Our  entry  into  this  sleepy  little  town  was,  I 
imagine,  almost  as  picturesque  as  the  old  town 
itself.  By  previous  arrangement  we  were  accorded 
the  distinction  of  being  transferred  from  the  sta- 
tion to  the  hotel,  a  distance  of  a  mile  or  more,  in  a 
special  coach. 

This  was  an  old  style  stage,  built  very  much  in 
the  shape  of  the  celebrated  dead-wood  coach  in 
which  so  many  people  were  held  up  and  robbed  by 
highwaymen,  on  the  road  to  the  mining  camps  of 

193 
—13 


MEXICO  THE  WONDERFUL 

Dakota,  and  which  stage  was  afterwards  made  more 
famous  by  its  appearance  in  the  battle  scene  in 
Buffalo  Bill's  Wild  West  Show. 

The  running  gear  is  heavy  and  the  wheels  are 
large;  the  body  is  suspended  on  leather  straps 
which  serve  as  springs,  and  the  whole  contrivance 
is  painted  a  bright  scarlet.  It  is  calculated  to  hold 
eleven  persons  besides  the  driver,  and  there  were 
just  that  number  in  our  party  at  that  time. 

Some  of  them  were  remarkably  heavy  men, 
and  each  one  had  with  him  a  full  allowance  of  bag- 
gage, so  the  coach  was  pretty  well  loaded  when 
we  were  all  aboard.  In  this  instance  the  women 
were  enclosed  inside  the  coach,  while  four  men, 
whose  combined  weight  was  nearly  one  thousand 
pounds,  with  a  large  number  of  valises  and  suit 
cases,  were  loaded  on  top.  In  addition  to  this  two 
other  heavy  men  were  roosting  on  a  little  seat  sui- 
pended  well  up  in  the  air  between  the  upper  rims 
of  the  two  hind  wheels. 

As  the  men  and  the  baggage  on  top  were  so 
much  heavier  than  the  ladies  who  were  bundled  in- 
side, the  combination,  when  completed,  was  quite 
top  heavy,  and  careened  and  rolled  along  the  road 
like  a  ship  in  mid  ocean,  with  little  or  no  ballast.  On 
at  least  one  occasion,  as  the  team  rounded  the  cor- 

194 


TO    CUERNAVACA 

ner  at  a  furious  rate,  this  top-heavy  load  came  very 
near  bringing  the  long  expedition  to  a  disastrous 
ending. 

In  addition  to  the  driver  who  sat  on  the  box 
and  held  the  lines,  there  were  two  outrunners 
whose  business  it  was  to  run  along,  one  on  each 
side  of  the  four-mule  team,  and  yell  and  belabor 
the  animals  vigorously  with  whips,  and  thus  keep 
them  in  rapid  motion. 

As  we  came  down  over  the  rough  cobblestones, 
with  the  usual  accompaniment  of  boys  and  dogs, 
and  with  a  roar  which  could  be  heard  blocks  away, 
our  arrival  was  certainly  known  all  over  the  city. 
Yea,  verily,  we  came  into  Guernavaca  in  a  blaze  of 
glory. 

I  have  never  been  in  old  Jerusalem,  but  I  should 
judge  from  the  pictures  of  the  holy  city,  that  Cuer- 
navaca  is  much  like  it  in  appearance.  The  streets 
are  up  and  down,  there  practically  being  no  level 
ground,  while  the  houses  are  old  and  solid,  all  ap- 
pearing to  have  been  built  many  years  ago. 

The  city  lies  on  a  mountain  ridge  with  deep 
gulches  or  canons  on  each  side.  The  one  between 
the  station  and  the  hotel  is  spanned  by  a  bridge, 
which  is  somewhat  different  from  any  bridge  that 
has  ever  come  under  my  observation.  It  is  a  very 

195 


MEXICO  THE  WONDERFUL 

solid  and  heavy  piece  of  architecture,  built  of  stone, 
with  a  high,  wide  arch.  The  roadway  is  broad  and 
smooth  and  at  each  end  is  widened  into  circular 
form,  in  the  center  of  which  is  a  stone  basin  or 
reservoir  some  fifteen  or  twenty  feet  in  diameter, 
supplied  with  water  from  the  mountain  streams 
for  the  use  of  the  animals  passing  over  the  bridge, 
or  to  supply  the  people  who  come  there  and  carry  it 
away.  The  roads  leading  out  of  Cuernavaca  are 
well  built,  are  well  taken  care  of  and  are  guarded 
along  the  side  of  the  steep  hills  with  substantial 
stone  walls. 

On  the  farther  side  of  the  town  there  is  a  road 
protected  by  a  stone  wall,  which  zigzags  three  or 
four  hundred  feet  down  one  side  of  the  hill  and  up 
the  other,  and  is  connected  with  a  short  but  high 
stone  arch  over  the  little  stream  at  the  bottom  of 
the  gulch.  An  aqueduct  with  high  arches  carries 
water  over  each  of  these  deep  gulches  or  canons, 
which,  added  to  the  other  peculiarities  of  the  place, 
gives  the  town  an  ancient,  fascinating  appearance. 

One  of  these  gulches  furnishes  a  basis  for  a 
remarkable  chapter  of  early  Mexican  history.  In 
April,  1521,  Cortez  marched  over  the  mountains  to 
capture  everything  in  sight ;  when  he  came  to  Cuer- 
navaca he  met  with  a  stubborn  resistance.  In  order 

196 


CORTEZ'     STRATEGY 

to  capture  the  town  he  had  to  cross  over  one  of 
these  gulches. 

History  records  that  Cortez  approached  this 
city  with  a  band  of  thirty  cavalry,  three  hundred 
Spanish  infantry,  and  a  large  body  of  Tlaxealan 
Indians  as  allies. 

When  he  reached  this  deep  gulch,  the  baranca 
of  Almanca,  his  further  entrance  to  the  town  was 
prevented.  The  gulch  or  baranca  was  not  very  wide, 
but  it  was  very  deep,  and  the  Spaniards  were  woe- 
fully harassed  by  the  shower  of  arrows  from  the 
defenders  of  the  city  who  were  entrenched  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  gulch  and  safe  from  the  fire  of 
the  Spanish  guns,  but  did  great  execution  with  their 
more  primitive  arms. 

Cortez  sent  a  detachment  up  and  down  the 
baranca  to  find  a  crossing,  but  the  baranca  was  long 
and  deep  and  there  was  no  place  apparently  where 
a  successful  crossing  could  be  made.  Finally  a 
Tlaxcalan  Indian  noticed  two  gigantic  trees  on  op- 
posite sides  but  close  to  the  gulch  with  the  trunks 
inclined  to  the  center  and  their  branches  inter- 
twined, forming  a  sort  of  natural  bridge,  over  which 
the  Tlaxcalan  quietly  passed  and  was  followed  by 
many  others,  among  whom  were  Castillo,  a  Spanish 

197 


MEXICO    THE    WONDERFUL 

officer,  and  a  number  of  his  men.  The  Spanish  wore 
heavy  armor,  and  some  of  them  fell  into  the  gulf  in 
making  the  passage. 

The  defenders  were  taken  entirely  by  surprise, 
not  having  noticed  that  the  enemy  were  crossing  by 
means  of  the  trees,  and  Cortez,  having  restored  one 
of  theipreviously  destroyed  bridges,  crossed  over  with 
his  little  band  of  cavalry  and  infantry. 

Speedy  victory  followed  the  unexpected  coup 
and  Cuernavaca  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Spaniards 
to  be  ruled  by  them  for  more  than  three  hundred 
years,  until  the  yoke  was  finally  thrown  off  by  the 
modern  Mexicans,  many  of  them  the  descendants  of 
those  who  surrendered  centuries  before. 

Cortez  left  Cuernavaca  to  complete  the  invest- 
ment and  finally  captured  the  City  of  Mexico,  and 
when  this  bloody  and  destructive  business  was  ac- 
complished he  returned  to  Cuernavaca  and  made  it 
his  home  for  some  time.  He  then  constructed  a  great 
palace  here  which  has  stood  for  nearly  four  hun- 
dred years  and  is  used  as  the  capital  of  the  State  of 
Moreloa  today. 

Cuernavaca  has  been  the  summer  home  of  many 
distinguished  Mexicans  and  Maximilian  spent  a 
great  deal  of  his  time  here,  but  he  learned  that  a 
conspiracy  had  been  formed  to  assassinate  him  on  the 

198 


OF  CUERNAVACA 

road  and  he  then  discontinued  his  visits.  His  house 
is  still  near  here,  and  is  one  of  the  objective  points 
visited  by  tourists. 

It  is  said  that  Cortez  murdered  one  of  his  wives 
here.  But  the  more  charitable  say  this  is  a  mistake, 
she  only  fell  in  a  cistern  and  was  drowned  after  he 
choked  her  to  death. 

There  are  some  beautiful  waterfalls  near  Cuer- 
navaca,  and  one  of  those  old  primitive  pottery  es- 
tablishments where  they  turn  out  the  odd  pottery 
which  everybody  brings  from  Mexico.  It  is  made 
better  here  than  in  most  places  in  Mexico.  Each 
locality  has  its  own  peculiar  style  of  pottery.  The 
Cuernavaca  pottery  is  the  most  artistic  of  any  we 
saw  and  is  distinguished  by  [pictures  or  figures  inlaid 
with  broken  pieces  of  pearl. 

There  is  a  great  street  car  system  here.  It  has 
tracks  on  nearly  all  the  streets,  but  the  cars  make 
only  one  trip  a  day  from  the  center  of  the  city  to 
the  railway  station  and  return.  It  takes  four  mules 
to  start  the  passenger  car  and  four  mules  and  six 
men  to  start  the  baggage  trailer  up  the  hill  from  the 
hotel.  We  came  into  the  city  with  much  glory  on  the 
red  coach,  but  we  went  out  with  more  comfort  on 
the  daily  street  car. 

In  the  plaza  in  the  foreground  of  the  state  house 

199 


MEXICO    THE    WONDERFUL 

is  a  bronze  statue  of  a  noted  man,  who  stands  in  the 
attitude  of  addressing  an  assembly,  and  attracts 
special  attention  because  the  figure  has  only  one  leg 
and  is  supported  by  a  crutch  which  is  part  of  the 
bronze  casting. 

This  is  the  statue  of  General  Santa  Anna,  the 
agitator,  soldier,  patriot,  president,  usurper  and  dic- 
tator of  Mexico,  whose  wooden  leg  was  captured  at 
the  battle  of  Cerro  Gordo,  and  is  now  displayed  in 
a  glass  case  in  the  Memorial  hall  in  the  State  house 
in  Springfield,  Illinois.  General  Santa  Anna  came 
on  or  near  to  the  battlefield  of  Cerro  Gordo  in  a  car- 
riage drawn  by  six  mules. 

While  riding  in  the  carriage  he  had  removed  his 
wooden  leg  to  rest  his  injured  member.  Being  sur- 
prised by  the  American  soldiers,  one  or  more  of  his 
mules  were  killed  in  harness  and  the  general  nar- 
rowly escaped  being  captured. 

With  the  assistance  of  his  men,  one  of  the  live 
mules  was  cut  loose  from  the  harness  and  Santa  An- 
na escaped  on  the  mule,  leaving  his  wooden  leg  be- 
hind, which  was  captured  by  an  Illinois  soldier,  and 
afterwards  turned  in  to  the  Memorial  hall  at  Spring- 
field. 

Several  years  ago  a  request  came  from  the  de- 
scendants of  Santa  Anna  through  the  Mexican 

200 


SANTA    ANNA'S    LEG 

government  to  the  governor  or  secretary  of  state  of 
Illinois,  for  the  return  of  the  wooden  leg. 

Quite  a  diplomatic  correspondence  was  carried 
on  in  the  matter  but  as  the  leg  has  become  the  prop- 
erty of  the  state  of  Illinois,  the  officers  of  the  state 
had  no  right  to  relinquish  the  same  without  a  special 
act  or  resolution  of  the  legislature.  As  the  legislature 
never  acted  in  the  matter,  the  leg  is  still,  as  above 
stated,  in  the  Memorial  hall. 

It  is  an  ordinary  wooden  leg,  hollowed  out  for 
the  knee  to  rest  in  the  top,  with  a  wing  extending 
further  up  to  attach  to  the  real  leg  above  the  knee. 
The  foot  is  encased  in  a  small  size  well-fitting  boot, 
square  across  the  toe. 

Santa  Anna  lost  his  sure  enough  leg  at  Vera 
Cruz  on  the  5th  of  December,  1838,  while  resisting 
an  attack  by  the  French.  And,  under  the  circum- 
stances it  was  about  the  best  thing  that  could  have 
happened  to  him,  for  having  previously  granted  the 
independence  of  Texas,  he  was  in  great  disfavor 
at  that  time.  His  gallant  defense  and  loss  of  leg 
restored  him  to  the  hearts  of  the  Mexican  people  and 
led  him  along  until  he  became  ruler  of  the  nation. 

Again  in  the  latter  days  of  his  life,  when  he  had 
organized  an  insurrection  against  the  government 

and  was  sentenced  to  be  executed,  his  great  sacrifice 

201 


MEXICO    THE    WONDERFUL 

to  his  country  was  recognized  and  he  was  pardoned, 
and  so  the  loss  of  his  leg  was  the  saving  of  his  neck. 

I  was  told  that  the  state  building  contained  a 
prison  and  that  a  charge  of  twenty-five  cents  was 
made  for  admittance.  Most  people  are  willing  to  pay 
to  get  out  of  prison,  and  I  objected  to  paying  to 
get  into  one,  so  I  stayed  out.  There  is  a  clock  on  top 
of  the  state  house  which  Charles  V  of  Spain  pre- 
sented to  Cortez  early  in  the  sixteenth  century,  and 
it  still  marks  the  hours  of  the  day,  now,  after  measur- 
ing time's  movements  for  four  hundred  years. 

There  are  a  number  of  interesting  ruins  in  the 
vicinity  of  Cuernavaca,  but  I  think  the  most  remarka- 
ble ruin  is  the  one  designated  as  the  Borda  Garden, 
which  is  counted  as  the  chief  attraction  of  the  city. 

Jose  de  la  Borda  was  a  wealthy  miner  who  lived 
here  about  two  hundred  years  ago.  He  made  a  for- 
tune said  to  be  as  high  as  fifty  million  dollars,  and 
built  a  large  house  here  with  the  most  beautiful 
garden  that  could  be  imagined.  It  is  said  to  have 
cost  two  million  dollars. 

It  occupies  a  large*  square  piece  of  ground  and  is 
surrounded  by  a  high  white  wall.  I  think  the  garden 
is  now  the  property  of  the  city  or  state,  and  a  fee  is 
charged  those  who  visit  it.  But  the  income  is  not 

sufficient  to  take  care  of  the  property  as  it  should  be 

202 


BOBDA    GARDEN 

cared  for.  It  is  a  magnificent  place,  yet,  and  has 
been  more  so  in  former  days,  when  in  its  glory. 

It  would  be  hard  to  describe  it.  There  are  two 
artificial  lakes  with  fountains,  and  stone  terraces 
leading  down  to  them,  and  the  mansion  and  the  whole 
place  is  as  odd  and  as  picturesque  as  an  elaborate 
drop-curtain  of  a  theatre,  where  the  artist  has  had 
full  sway  and  could  place  upon  the  canvas  a  two 
million  dollar  establishment  with  the  same  expense 
for  paint  as  he  could  a  two  hundred  dollar  shanty. 
Whoever  laid  out  this  place  was  just  as  extravagant 
as  an  artist  might  be  under  those  circumstances. 

There  are  two  battlements  or  lookouts  from 
which  a  beautiful  view  of  the  valleys  between  the 
mountains  can  be  seen,  and  it  is  said  that  one  of  these 
was  the  favorite  haunt  of  Carlotta,  where  she  would 
wait  and  watch  for  the  coming  of  Maximilian,  as  he 
came  down  from  the  ca,pital,  full  of  worry  and  woe. 
Now  the  grand  old  place  is  overgrown  with  trees, 
vines  and  flowers  of  all  kinds.  The  walls  and  walks 
show  evidence  of  decay  and  neglect,  and  there  is  a 
general  air  of  decadence  on  every  hand. 

As  I  walked  among  its  lonely  lanes  and  through 
its  overhanging  arbors,  and  contemplated  its  past 
grandeur  and  thought  of  the  days  when  soft  music 
floated  over  its  waters,  and  when  it  was  filled  with 

203 


MEXICO    THE    WONDERFUL 

chivalry  and  romance,  I  could  not  but  call  to  mind 
those  soul  touching  lines  of  Thomas  Moore,  which 
always  find  our  tears  so  close  to  the  overflowing 

point: 

"I  feel  like  one  who  treads  alone 

Some  banquet  hall  deserted, 

Whose  lights  are  fled, 

Whose  garlands  dead, 

And  all  but  he  departed." 

STORM   AND  SUNSET. 

It  is  not  often  that  a  heavy  rain  and  a  beautiful 
sunset  are  presented  at  the  same  time,  but  this  was 
one  of  the  pleasures  we  enjoyed  at  Cuernavaca.  An- 
other  writer  referring  to  the  place  says:  "The  two 
most  beautiful  natural  prospects  I  have  ever  gazed 
upon  are  Lake  Louise  and  the  encircling  mountains 
in  the  Canadian  Rockies  and  the  sunset  view  from 
the  roof  of  our  hotel  in  Cuernavaca."  This  is  the 
opinion  of  a  man  who  has  traveled  much  and  has  seen 
considerable  of  the  world,  and  it  is  not  too  much  to 


Cuernavaca  is  a  place  where  travelers  rest  and 
every  evening  they  go  up  on  the  flat  stone-paved  roof 
of  the  hotel,  where  there  are  comfortable  seats,  to 
enjoy  the  spectacle  of  the  sunset,  for  it  is  always 
beautiful  here.  One  evening  while  we  were  there 
we  enjoyed  the  novelty  of  seeing  at  the  same  time  a 

204 


STORM    AND    SUNSET 

severe  storm  on  one  side  and  a  glorious  sunset  on 
the  other. 

It  does  not  often  rain  here  in  winter  time,  but 
it  does  sometimes,  and  this  was  one  of  those  times. 
The  clouds  were  very  dark  and  the  storm  came  down 
the  valleys  and  over  the  mountains  like  a  moving 
army. 

You  could  as  plainly  discern  the  alignment  of 
its  advance  column  as  you  could  see  the  front  rank 
of  soldiers  on  a  march.  The  lightning  flashed  like 
the  fire  from  guns  and  the  thunder  roared  and  ham- 
mered like  heavy  artillery. 

The  storm  finally  reached  us  and  it  was  like  a 
mad  charge  of  cavalry,  artillery  and  infantry,  all  at 
one  and  the  same  time,  and  we,  like  old,  tried  and 
experienced  soldiers,  who  had  seen  many  battles  and 
battlefields,  and  lived  through  all  of  them,  took  to 
shelter  until  the  charge  had  passed. 

Then  we  came  out  again  and  went  up  on  the 
house  top  to  see  the  finish  of  the  battle.  Away  to 
the  east  we  could  see  the  rear  guard  of  the  passing 
column  and  hear  the  rumble  of  the  heavenly  artillery 
as  it  advanced  to  the  next  stand.  In  the  west  the 
sun  shone  out  in  radiant  glory  and  the  scattered 
clouds  were  like  huge  fragments  of  flame  rolling 
through  the  sky. 

205 


MEXICO  THE  WONDERFUL 

The  sun,  as  a  ball  of  fire,  was  apparently  sink- 
ing into  an  old  deserted  crater  for  the  night,  while 
for  miles  and  miles  the  green  and  lately  refreshed 
mountains,  their  tips  in  various  shades,  seemed  to 
be  assembled  to  guard  the  slumbers  of  the  sun  and  to 
await  its  resurrection  on  the  morrow. 

The  sky  shaded  from  a  bright  red  in  the  west 
to  a  light  purple  overhead  and  to  a  deep  indigo  in 
the  east,  where  the  driving  rain  was  plainly  visible- 
no  colors  an  artist  would  use  could  be  more  intense 
than  the  various  colors  spread  before  us  during  this 
sunset  and  storm,  nor  could  any  artist  place  his 
colors  in  so  perfect  accord. 

From  mountain  ridge  to  mountain  ridge,  span- 
ning the  heavens,  was  a  double  rainbow  of  the  bright- 
est colors  as  true  and  perfect  as  a  segment  of  the 
rings  of  Saturn  and  seeming  to  form  a  broad  path  of 
gold  to  the  dwelling  place  of  the  angels.  Just  as 
the  sun  was  sinking  from  our  sight,  from  the  old 
moss-covered  Catehdral,  where  Gortez  attended  Mass, 
and  where  Carlotta  prayed,  there  came  the  sound  of 
bells.  They  were  the  vesper  bells  and  they  were  ring- 
ing the  knell  of  the  now  departing  day. 


206 


The  Twelfth  Letter. 


IN    MEXICO   CITY. 

This  was  my  first  visit  to  Mexico  City  since  1897, 
nine  years  ago,  and  I  was  forcibly  impressed  with 
the  great  improvement  that  has  been  made  during 
that  time.  The  cobblestone  paving  of  the  streets  has 
been  replaced  by  beautiful  asphalt  surfaces.  The 
mule  has  given  way  to  the  trolley  on  the  tramways. 
New  buildings  with  steel  frames  and  of  modern  cut 
stone  have  replaced  old  plastered  habitations,  plate 
glass  fronts  that  were  then  a  novelty  are  now  the 
rule,  and  in  the  residence  portions  the  change  has 
been  still  greater.  There  are  new  houses  everywhere 
and  palatial  residence!  now  line  up  on  grand  boule- 
vards where  swamps  and  bogs  were  the  breeding 
place  of  bacteria  then. 

It  is  hardly  necessary  to  say,  even  as  an  intro- 
duction, that  Mexico  City  is  the  capital  of  our  sister 
republic,  the  seat  of  government,  the  location  of  the 
national  palace,  the  home  of  the  president,  etc. 

207 


MEXICO   THE   WONDERFUL 

It  now  has  a  population  of  nearly  four  hundred 
thousand,  a  gain  of  nearly  fifty  thousand  in  ten 
years.  There  is  an  American  population  estimated 
at  about  ten  thousand. 

THE   LOCATION  OF  THE  CITY. 

Tradition  says  that  Mexico  City  was  established 
by  the  Aztecs  in  the  year  1521,  and  that  it  was  named 
Tenochtitlan,  but  that  the  people  or  the  city  were 
sometimes  called  "Mexitl,"  which  the  Spanish 
changed  or  corrupted  into  "Mexico,"  which  is  much 
more  euphonious,  and  entitles  the  Spaniards  to  a 
vote  of  thanks  for  making  the  change  in  the  name. 

Mexico  City  is  seven  thousand  three  hundred  and 
fifty  feet  above  sea  level,  and  this  fact  has  been  pub- 
lished so  often  that  most  people  imagine  that  it  is 
high  and  dry.  It  is  true  that  it  is  high,  but  it  is  not 
or  has  not  always  been  dry,  but  on  the  contrary  it 
has  suffered  greatly  from  too  much  water. 

It  appears  that  when  the  Aztecs  came  here  they 
found  in  this  part  of  the  country  a  race  known  as  the 
Toltecs,  who  were  already  in  possession  of  the 
country  and  who  were  a  much  more  hardy  and  war- 
like race  than  the  Aztecs. 

The  Aztecs  were  a  very  peaceable  set  of  people 
when  they  came,  and  not  many  in  number,  but  they 
afterwards  became  more  numerous  and  more  warlike 

208 


LOCATION    OF    THE    CITY 

and  were  practically  the  rulers  of  the  whole  country 
when  Cortez  arrived. 

No  one  seems  to  know  where  the  Aztecs  former- 
ly resided,  but  wherever  they  came  from,  they  must 
have  been  licked,  and  left  on  that  account,  for  they 
were  a  rather  subdued  sort  of  people  at  the  time  they 
came  into  the  valley  of  Mexico. 

They  found  in  a  lake  called  Texcoco,  the  lowest 
lake  in  the  valley,  an  island,  or  rather  a  marshy  foot- 
hold, that  it  would  appear  that  nobody  else  wanted, 
and  they  calculated  that  by  settling  thereon  they 
would  not  offend  anybody,  and  besides,  the  waters 
and  swamps  around  them  would  serve  as  a  sort  of 
moat  to  protect  them  from  their  more  powerful  ene- 
mies. 

And  so  they  settled  in  the  lake  and  in  the  very 
lowest  place  in  the  valley,  and  that  was  the  start  of 
the  present  great  City  of  Mexico. 

One  legend  is  that  when  they  came  they  were 
directed  by  some  prophet,  oracle  or  other  fraudulent 
person,  to  go  on  until  they  saw  a  sign  which  would 
be  an  eagle  holding  a  serpent  in  its  beak.  So  when 
they  came  to  this  place  they  found  an  eagle  standing 
on  a  cactus  plant  with  the  snake  as  described,  which 
it  appears  to  me  might  have  been  a  common  sight 
in  this  country  at  that  time.  In  any  event,  they  set- 

209 
—14 


MEXICO   THE  WONDERFUL 

tied  here,  and  this  picture,  the  eagle  with  the  coiling 
serpent,  is  now  the  national  emblem  of  the  republic. 

The  selection  of  this  place  for  the  building  of  the 
city  was  a  most  unfortunate  decision,  for  the  location 
was  altogether  better  suited  for  the  laying  out  of  a 
great  frog  farm  than  it  was  for  the  site  of  a  great 
city. 

The  so-called  valley  of  Mexico  is  about  thirty- 
five  by  fifty  miles  in  extent,  and  while  it  is  called  a 
valley,  it  is  in  reality  a  basin. 

I  have  not  looked  up  the  definition  of  the  word 
"valley,"  but  a  valley  to  my  mind  carries  with  it  the 
idea  of  a  low  place  between  hills  that  leads  and 
drains  into  some  other  place,  and  I  think  this  is  the 
general  idea.  This  valley  of  Mexico  does  not  lead  to 
any  place.  It  is  a  great  basin,  pure  and  simple,  with 
no  outlet.  And  no  matter  from  what  direction  you 
come  into  Mexico,  you  must  first  get  up  on  the  rim  of 
the  basin  and  then  come  down  into  the  city. 

There  are  six  lakes  in  this  so-called  valley  sur- 
rounding the  City  of  Mexico,  and  the  water  at  all 
times,  in  at  least  five  of  these  lakes,  is  higher  than  the 
grounds  of  the  city.  As  in  all  tropical  countries, 
there  is  a  dry  season  and  a  rainy  season  here  and 
when  the  rainy  season  commences  and  continues, 
month  after  month,  no  one  knows  how  much  water 

210 


THE    GREAT    CANAL 

there  will  be  in  these  lakes  nor  how  much  will  spill 
over. 

The  water  in  the  lakes  is  restrained  only  by 
slight  natural  barriers  and  artificial  dykes,  and  in  the 
last  seven  hundred  years  the  city  has  suffered  from 
many  and  long-continued  inundations. 

The  city  is  built  on  marshy,  flat  ground,  so  wet 
and  damp  that  cellars  are  not  practicable,  and  the 
lack  of  a  good  drainage  system  and  the  lack  of  a  good 
water  supply  has  made  Mexico  City  one  of  the  most 
unhealthy  cities  in  the  world.  Intestinal  disorders 
and  typhus  fever  epidemics  are  prevalent  and  the 
death  rate  runs  very  high. 

The  fight  to  overcome  the  serious  mistake  of  the 
original  location  of  the  city  has  been  a  long  and 
pathetic  story. 

Cortez  destroyed  the  city  at  the  time  of  his  Con- 
quest, but  made  an  egregious  blunder  in  rebuilding 
on  the  same  grounds,  for  he  might  at  that  time  have 
abandoned  the  old  site  altogether  and  built  on  the 
higher  ground  near  by. 

THE  GREAT  CANAL. 

Then  came  the  great  canal  experiments.  We,  in 
Illinois,  lay  considerable  stress  on  the  building  of  the 
great  drainage  canal  of  Chicago,  and  yet  Mexico  City 

has  a  great  canal  that  was  commenced  in  1607 

211 


MEXICO   THE   WONDERFUL 

(nearly  three  hundred  years  ago),  and  completed  in 
1789,  and  is  now  abandoned. 

It  was  a  failure  from  the  start,  just  as  the  Chi- 
cago drainage  canal  will  be  a  failure  in  the  end. 

When  we  are  dead  and  gone,  and  maybe  before 
that  time,  when  the  Chicago  canal  has  failed  to  drain 
Chicago,  and  has  scattered  contagion  and  death  all 
down  the  valley  of  the  Illinois  river,  it  will  be 
abandoned,  at  least  for  the  purpose  for  which  it  is 
intended,  just  as  the  Mexican  canal  has  been  now. 

Twenty  thousand  men  at  one  time  labored  many 
years  on  this  great  Mexican  canal.  It  was  first 
built  as  a  tunnel,  but  in  1629,  in  the  rainy  season, 
there  was  a  great  inundation  which  seemed  to  come 
in  a  single  night,  but  the  waters  remained  five 
years. 

The  tunnel  caved  in  in  many  places,  and  the 
overflow  in  the  city  was  tremendous.  The  streets 
were  turned  into  canals  and  boats  were  used  for  all 
comings  and  goings.  Houses  weakened  on  their 
foundations  and  fell  in  the  streets  and  collapsed 
within  themselves. 

The  condition  of  the  city  was  indescribable  and 
the  suffering  of  the  people  was  terrific.  The  engi- 
neer who  constructed  the  tunnel  was  cast  into  prison. 

Finally   a  royal   order   came   from   Spain   to 
212 


ANOTHER    CANAL 

abandon  the  old  site  and  move  the  city  to  a  nearby 
suburb  on  higher  ground,  called  Tacubaya.  But 
this  order  was  never  carried  out. 

There  came  a  dry  season  and  an  earthquake  that 
cracked  the  ground  and  the  water  disappeared. 
Anyway,  a  city  in  a  bad  location  seems  to  have  won- 
derful staying  qualities  and  vitality  when  it  once  has 
taken  root. 

And  so  it  remained,  and  when  the  waters  re- 
ceded the  city  was  rebuilt  for  the  third  time  in  the 
same  place.  Then  it  was  concluded  to  make  of  the 
tunnel  a  canal,  but  this  was  not  completed  until  1789, 
and  during  all  the  intervening  time  and  afterwards, 
the  inundations  and  floods  continued.  The  canal  is 
about  thirteen  miles  long,  is  one  hundred  and  fifty 
to  two  hundred  feet  deep  and  is  from  three  hundred 
to  five  hundred  feet  wide  at  the  top,  sloping  to  the 
bottom.  The  whole  work  is  now  used  only  as  a  rail- 
road embankment. 

ANOTHER  GREATER  CANAL. 

The  drainage  conditions  have  been  materially 
improved  of  late. 

Maximilian  initiated  a  good  work  while  he  was 
emperor,  that  was  completed  in  1894,  nearly  thirty 
years  after  his  death,  which  has  done  much  to  allevi- 
ate conditions  in  Mexico  City. 

213 


MEXICO  THE  WONDERFUL 

It  consists  of  a  canal  thirty  miles  long  connecting 
with  a  tunnel  seven  miles  long  through  the  mountain, 
which  in  a  large  measure  has  solved  the  drainage 
problem  for  this  city. 

But  the  lakes  and  marshes  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
city  are  not  drained,  and  being  considerably  higher 
than  the  city,  during  the  rainy  season  or  in  times  of 
freshets,  threaten  great  danger. 

I  do  not  think  though  that  there  has  been  a  seri- 
ous flood  since  the  tunnel  was  completed,  and  it  is  to 
be  hoped  that  the  floods  are  a  thing  of  the  past.  A 
water  indicator  stands  on  the  great  plaza  or  square 
directly  in  front  of  the  National  Palace,  that  shows 
the  height  of  the  water  in  the  lakes  at  all  times. 

Now,  if  I  should  stop  here  to  tell  of  the  many 
tunes  the  city  has  suffered  from  earthquakes  in- 
numerable and  severe,  and  from  invasions  by  differ- 
ent armies,  and  has  been  damaged  by  internal  riots 
and  disorders,  from  plagues  and  epidemics,  you  cer- 
tainly would  realize  that  this  place  has  had  a  stormy 
and  tempestuous  existence.  But  we  will  pass  over 
that  at  this  time. 

THE   NATIONAL  PALACE. 

We  visited  the  National  Palace  on  Sunday,  which 
is  the  usual  day  for  visitors.  It  is  located  on  the 
east  side  of  the  "Plaza  Mayor,"  which  is  a  square 

214 


THE    NATIONAL    PALACE 

about  as  large  as  four  ordinary  city  blocks.  The 
plaza  is  a  well  kept  park,  full  of  flowers,  trees,  palms, 
etc.,  and  has  some  fountains  and  statues.  The  Cathe- 
dral fronts  on  the  north  side  of  the  same  plaza. 

The  "Palacio  Nacional,"  as  it  is  put  down  in 
Spanish,  is  a  large  old-style  building.  It  is  built  in 
the  shape  of  a  square  covering  a  large  block.  It  is 
of  plain  architecture,  is  only  three  stories  high,  but 
it  measures  six  hundred  and  seventy-five  feet  across 
the  front  and  as  much  or  nearly  so  on  each  of  the 
four  sides,  and  contains  a  number  of  courts,  some  of 
which  are  paved,  while  others  are  ornamented  with 
grass,  trees  and  flowers,  and  one  in  particular,  the 
President's  garden,  is  a  magnificent  retreat. 

Soldiers  guard  all  the  entrances,  and  nobody  is 
allowed  to  enter  unless  supplied  with  a  pass.  Ameri- 
can visitors  can  get  passes  from  the  American  em- 
bassy or  from  the  American  consul.  The  embassy 
supplied  me  generously  with  a  pass  for  myself  and 
four  additional  friends,  so  the  guard  at  the  great 
entrance  thought  I  must  be  a  person  of  considerable 
importance  and  bowed  very  low  as  we  passed  by, 
and  placed  at  our  disposal  a  very  polite  attendant  to 
show  us  through  the  building. 

The  palace  stands  on  the  grounds  occupied 
formerly  by  the  palace  of  Montezuma  at  the  time  of 

215 


MEXICO  THE  WONDERFUL 
the  Conquest,  which  palace  was  destroyed  by  Cortez. 
When  that  illustrious  gentleman  and  his  companions 
had  murdered  untold  thousands  and  had  conquered 
and  had  captured  everything  in  the  name  of  the  Holy 
Cross,  and  were  dividing  up  the  steal,  in  the  drawing 
of  lots,  Cortez  stacked  the  cards  and  drew  this  choice 
ground. 

The  ownership  was  conceded  by  the  King  of 
Spain  in  1529.  Cortez  put  up  an  elegant  palace  with 
elaborate  towers.  It  was  purchased  by  Spain  from 
the  heirs  in  1562  for  a  home  for  the  viceroys,  who 
governed  Mexico.  Cortez'  building  was  destroyed  in 
the  riots  of  1692  and  the  present  building  was  com- 
menced that  year.  So,  like  most  everything  in  Mexi- 
co, it  is  pretty  old. 

We  visited  all  the  public  rooms  of  the  National 
Palace  and  some  of  them,  notably  the  great  hall  of 
the  embassadors,  are  magnificently  furnished,  and 
some  remarkably  fine  paintings  adorn  the  walls. 
Among  the  many  portraits  is  a  heroic  size  picture  of 
George  Washington,  the  presence  of  which  illustrates 
the  friendly  feeling  of  Mexico  for  the  United  States. 

We  were  shown  through  the  state  kitchen  and 
into  the  state  dining  room,  which  are  wonderfully 
well  equipped  for  cooking,  eating  and  drinking. 
The  large  tables  in  the  dining  room  are  ornamented 

216 


THE    NATIONAL    MUSEUM 

with  four  pieces  of  Maximilian's  silver  set.  There 
are  five  pieces  in  the  set,  exquisitely  designed  and 
excellently  made.  The  great  central  piece,  which  is 
in  the  museum,  is  ten  feet  in  length.  The  four  smaller 
pieces,  which  are  in  the  state  or  national  dining  hall, 
are  each  at  least  five  feet  in  length  and  each  of  them 
exhibits  wonderful  display  of  work. 

The  art  palace  in  connection  with  the  National 
Palace  has  a  magnificent  display  of  paintings.  It  is 
conceded  to  be  the  greatest  collection  of  art  on  the 
western  hemisphere. 

There  is  also  a  great  library  with  two  hundred 
thousand  volumes  and  a  number  of  lesser  ones  in  the 
city. 

THE  NATIONAL  MUSEUM. 

The  National  Museum  is  located  in  the  National 
building,  and  nobody  visits  Mexico  without  going  to 
the  museum.  The  two  great  wonders,  so  considered, 
in  the  museum  are  the  Aztec  calendar  stone  and  the 
sacrificial  stone. 

The  calendar  stone  is  about  seven  or  eight  feet 
in  diameter  and  would  weigh  several  tons.  Originally 
it  must  have  been  brought  from  some  distance,  as 
no  stone  of  this  nature  can  be  found  in  this  imme- 
diate vicinity.  It  was  in  the  great  Tenochtitlan 
temple,  which  stood  near  where  now  the  Cathedral 

217 


MEXICO   THE   WONDERFUL 

stands,  and  which  was  destroyed  by  Cortez.  After 
the  destruction  of  the  temple,  the  calendar  stone  was 
buried  for  many  years  in  the  plaza,  was  later  de- 
posited in  the  cathedral  and  then  removed  to  the 
National  Museum  in  1886.  Its  wonderful  carvings 
and  hieroglyphics  make  it  an  interesting  object  for 
the  study  of  archaeologists. 

THE  SACRIFICIAL  STONE. 

Next  to  the  calendar  stone  in  .the  National 
Museum  is  the  sacrificial  stone. 

The  Aztecs  were  sun-worshippers,  and  practiced 
human  sacrifice,  and  it  is  said  that  more  than  three 
million  people  were  sacrificed  in  their  great  temple 
in  the  City  of  Mexico.  I  could  not  verify  the  exact- 
ness of  this  number. 

This  stone  is  about  eight  feet  in  diameter  and 
about  three  feet  thick.  The  surface  is  completely 
covered  with  pictures  carved  in  the  stone,  represent- 
ing victims  being  dragged  by  the  hair  to  the  place  of 
execution,  etc.,  and  clearly  indicating  the  purpose  for 
which  it  was  intended.  In  the  center  a  basin  is  chip- 
ped out  and  a  gutter  leads  down  and  off  the  edge  of 
the  stone.  This  basin  was  evidently  intended  to 
catch  the  blood  as  the  victims  were  laid  upon  the 
stone  with  their  heads  in  the  centre,  their  throats  cut, 
and  then  the  gutter  conveyed  the  blood  away. 

218 


MAXIMILIAN'S  CARRIAGE 

It  would  appear  that  in  the  dragging  of  the 
victims  to  the  place  of  sacrifice  by  the  hair,  as  usual, 
the  bald-headed  men  would  have  considerable  ad- 
vantage, as  they  couldn't  drag  them  that  way. 

This  stone  was  lost  track  of  after  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  old  temple,  and  lay  buried  in  the  ground 
until  1791,  when,  in  making  an  excavation,  it  was 
found.  As  it  seemed  too  heavy  to  be  moved,  it  was 
about  to  be  broken  into  paving  stone  for  the  streets, 
when  somebody  .interfered.  It  was  then  taken  in 
hand,  turned  over  to  the  government  and,  some- 
what similar  to  the  case  of  the  rejected  stone,  has 
become  one  of  the  most  famous  relics  of  the  west- 
ern world. 

There  are  lots  of  other  wonders  in  the  National 
Museum,  including  figures  in  stone  that  have  been 
unearthed  in  many  parts  of  this  strange  country, 
showing  the  existence  of  prehistoric  races. 

Coming  down  to  later  days,  there  are  the  skele- 
tons of  cliff  dwellers  and  unknown  tribes,  while 
coming  down  still  further  to  more  modern  times, 
there  are  many  mementoes  of  Juarez  and  Maxi- 
milian and  other  rulers. 

MAXIMILIAN'S    CARRIAGE. 

Side  by  side  in  the  Museum  stand  two  coaches. 
One  is  the  coach  of  the  late  President  Juarez  and 

219 


MEXICO  THE  WONDERFUL 

the  other  is  the  coach  of  the  late  Emperor  Maxi- 
milian. The  coach  of  Juarez  is  a  plain,  black, 
weather-beaten,  old-style  carriage  such  as  might  be 
seen  among  the  second-hand  assortment  around  most 
any  repair  shop.  Maximilian's  coach  is  a  counter- 
part of  the  coach  of  Napoleon.  It  is  a  gorgeous 
chariot,  made  to  be  drawn  by  six  horses.  It  is  as 
elaborate  and  as  ornamental  in  its  carvings  as  it 
possibly  could  have  been  made.  Every  inch  of  its 
surface,  except  the  glass,  is  covered  with  gold  leaf 
or  plate  gold,  and  it  looks  as  though  it  were  made 
of  solid  gold.  It  is  magnificently  upholstered  and 
ornamented  with  gold  lace.  It  is  said  to  have  been 
built  in  Italy  at  a  cost  of  forty  thousand  dollars. 

I  remarked  to  the  guide,  "There  is  quite  a 
difference  in  those  two  carriages. "  "  Yes, ' '  he  said, 
"just  the  difference  between  a  democrat  and  an 
aristocrat" — and  that  explained  it  all. 

Think  of  Maximilian  coming  in  this  carriage 
and  bringing  with  him  a  fifty  thousand  dollar  set 
of  silverware,  expecting  to  govern  a  people,  three- 
fourths  of  whom  had  never  possessed  enough  money 
to  enjoy  a  square  meal  and  who  had  never  had  a 
respectable  suit  of  clothes,  and  the  skin  of  whose 
heels  was  cracked  in  ridges  from  never  having  been 
encumbered  with  shoes. 

220 


MAXIMILIAN'S    CARRIAGE 

It  is  in  this  carriage,  for  they  had  no  railway 
then,  that  Maximilian  and  Carlotta  rode  from  Vera 
Cruz  to  be  crowned  Emperor  and  Empress  of  Mex- 
ico, in  the  old  Cathedral. 

They  came  with  pomp  and  glory.  Their  gilded 
chariot  was  escorted  by  the  grandest  military 
pageant  that  ever  marched  through  any  country  in 
the  western  hemisphere.  There  were  glittering 
uniforms,  shining  arms,  silken  banners  and  waving 
plumes.  There  was  the  blare  of  trumpets,  the  mel- 
ody of  music  and  the  clattering  of  many  horses' 
hoofs  on  the  old  stone  military  road. 

It  was  a  grand  procession,  representing  every- 
thing it  should  not, — usurpation,  despotism  and  a 
vainglorious  display  of  splendor,  and  the  turning 
backward  of  the  hands  of  time  to  make  them  point 
to  the  darkest  ages  of  the  history  of  mankind. 

But  its  grandeur  was  unparalleled  in  the 
world's  more  modern  movements  and  everybody  on 
the  way  hailed  it  as  the  forerunner  of  a  new  era, 
and  this  golden  chariot  was  the  central  figure  of 
this  great  cavalcade. 

There  was  another  Maximilian  procession  back 
over  the  same  road  in  1867,  but  there  was  a  great 
contrast  between  the  two,  a  greater  contrast  than 
the  world  has  often  seen. 

221 


MEXICO  THE  WONDERFUL 

Maximilian  had  closed  his  drama  with  the 
tragic  denouement  of  his  execution  and  the  proces- 
sion was  on  its  return  to  Vera  Cruz  with  his  dead 
body,  to  be  shipped  to  his  mother  in  Austria. 

The  waving  banners  were  not  there,  the  golden 
trappings  were  not  there,  the  brilliant  uniforms  were 
not  there,  the  bands  were  not  in  the  procession. 
Carlotta  was  not  there,  she  had  gone  before  for  help. 
The  gilded  chariot  was  not  there.  It  was  in  Mexico 
City,  and  in  its  place  was  a  military  wagon  on  which 
lay  the  body  of  the  late  emperor. 

It  was  surrounded  by  a  little  band  of  ragged 
soldiers  of  the  Republic,  nearly  half  of  whom 
were  ex-members  of  the  Confederate  army  of  the 
United  States,  and  there  was  no  one  so  lowly  as  to 
do  honor  to  the  dead  emperor,  except  the  straggling 
peon  on  the  road  might  lift  his  hat  and  trace  upon 
his  breast  the  sign  of  the  cross  in  the  presence  of 
death. 

And  this  was  the  return  of  Maximilian,  with  all 
that  was  left  of  his  worldly  ambitions,  and  this  is  the 
story  that  this  golden  chariot  reads  to  the  visitor  to 
the  Mexican  museum  today. 


222 


The  Thirteenth  Letter* 


THE  GUADELUPE  CATHEDRAL. 

Although  hardly  so  large,  the  Cathedral  of  "Our 
Lady  of  Guadelupe,"  situated  about  four  miles  from 
the  center  of  the  city,  is  in  some  respects  a  more 
remarkable  structure  than  even  the  great  Cathedral 
of  the  City  of  Mexico,  and  is  counted  the  holiest 
shrine  in  all  the  republic. 

It  contains  the  sacred  "Tilma,"  which  is  a 
mantle  or  cloak  of  an  Indian,  made  of  the  fibre  of 
maguey,  or  what  we  would  call  century  plant,  on 
which  is  the  picture  of  the  Virgin  Mary. 

The  picture  represents  the  Virgin  standing  on  a 
crescent  supported  by  an  angel,  with  a  golden  crown 
upon  her  head,  set  with  precious  stones,  while  from 
behind  the  figure  are  rays  of  light  in  every  direction, 
giving  the  picture  a  remarkably  beautiful  and  awe- 
inspiring  setting. 

In  connection  with  this  picture  is  a  legend  on 

223 


MEXICO   THE   WONDERFUL 

which  the  Cathedral  was  founded  and  which  has 
made  it  the  Mecca  of  all  the  faithful  in  Mexico. 

The  first  bishop  of  Mexico,  the  illustrious  Senor 
Fr.  Don  Juan  de  Zumarrago,  was  in  charge  of 
church  matters  in  Mexico  at  that  time.  It  was  in  the 
year  1531,  the  tenth  year  of  Spanish  occupation. 

A  poor  peon,  Juan  Diego,  was  on  his  way  to  Mass. 
When  near  the  hill  of  Tepeyac  he  was  surrounded  by 
a  great  light  and  told  that  he  was  in  the  presence  of 
the  Virgin  Mary,  and  that  he  should  go  to  the  Bishop 
of  Mexico  and  tell  him  that  it  was  her  desire  that  a 
temple  should  be  erected  on  that  particular  spot 
wherein  she  could  bestow  her  pitying  love  on  those 
who  sought  her  protection.  ' '  Go  thou  to  the  city  and 
tell  the  bishop  all  thou  hast  seen  and  heard." 

Within  the  hour  Juan  was  at  the  bishop's  door, 
but  it  was  not  opened  unto  him,  and  the  bishop's 
servants  derided  him  for  having  the  assurance  and 
presumption  to  try  to  effect  an  entrance  to  the  pres- 
ence of  so  great  and  so  holy  a  personage.  Finally, 
being  admitted,  he  trembled  in  fear  and  embarrass- 
ment before  the  high  dignitary.  When  he  had  told 
his  story,  the  bishop  pitied  him,  but  said,  "take  the 
poor  man  away,  he  has  been  dreaming. ' ' 

And  the  next  morning  the  Virgin  again  met 
Juan,  who  told  her  of  his  failure  to  interest  the 

224 


THE  GUADELUPE  CATHEDRAL 

bishop.  The  Virgin  sent  him  again  to  the  bishop, 
who  gave  him  no  encouragement,  but  asked  him  for  a 
sign  from  the  Virgin.  He  was  followed  secretly  by 
two  of  the  bishop's  men,  who  lost  track  of  him  on  the 
way  and  came  back  and  reported  him  as  an  imposter, 
and  recommended  that  he  be  flogged  should  he  re- 
turn again.  But  the  Virgin  said  (when  Juan  again 
reported  his  failure  to  enlist  the  bishop's  attention), 
"Come  tomorrow  and  thou  shalt  receive  the  sign." 
Juan  promised  to  return  the  next  day,  but  did  not  do 
so. 

He  was  discouraged  and  passed  on  the  other 
side  of  the  hill  on  the  road  to  bring  a  confessor,  as 
his  uncle  was  supposed  to  be  dying.  But  the  Virgin 
intercepted  him  on  that  side  of  the  hill  and  told  him 
his  uncle  was  restored.  And  then  the  Virgin  told 
him  to  go  to  the  top  of  the  hill,  cut  the  roses  he  would 
find  there  and  fold  them  in  his  tilma  and  bring  them 
to  her.  Juan  knew  roses  had  never  grown  upon 
this  barren  hill,  but  he  did  as  commanded  and  he 
found  the  hill  blooming  with  fragrant  flowers. 

He  selected  a  great  quantity,  placed  them  in  his 
mantle  or  tilma,  and  returned  with  them  to  the  wait- 
ing Virgin,  who  blessed  them  and  replaced  them  in 
Juan's  mantle  and  told  him  to  take  them  to  the 
bishop,  and  that  would  be  a  sign  to  him.  And  Juan 

—15 

225 


MEXICO  THE  WONDERFUL 

carried  the  roses  to  the  bishop's  palace,  but  when  he 
arrived  there  he  had  to  fight  his  way  through  the 
mocking  guards  and  only  obtained  an  audience  with 
the  bishop  after  a  great  struggle. 

He  opened  his  mantle  and  emptied  his  roses  at 
the  bishop's  feet.  But  lo,  as  the  roses  fell  from  the 
coarse  garment  there  was  emblazoned  thereon  the 
most  beautiful  picture  mortal  eyes  had  ever  gazed 
upon;  a  picture  no  mortal  could  have  originated 
and  no  artist  could  ever  exactly  copy.  It  was  the 
beautiful  picture  of  the  Virgin  as  described  above. 
Juan  fell  upon  his  face  before  the  bishop.  The  sign 
was  unmistakable,  the  bishop  was  convinced.  He 
raised  Juan  to  his  feet  and  accepted  him  as  the  true 
messenger  of  the  Holy  Mother. 

That  day,  Juan,  the  poor  barefooted  peon,  led  a 
long  procession  of  the  great  men  of  the  church  to  the 
foot  of  Tepeyac  hill  and  they  found  everything  as 
he  had  said,  and  the  temple  was  erected  forthwith 

and  called  "Santa  Maria  de  Guadelupe,"  as  the  Vir- 
gin had  wished. 

And  this  is  the  legend  on  which  this  great  Ca- 
thedral was  commenced  in  the  year  1531,  and  finally 
completed  in  1896,  nearly  four  hundred  years  after 
Juan  had  been  laid  beneath  its  original  altar,  and  the 
tilma  rests  over  the  altar  at  the  present  time. 

226 


THE  GUADELUPE  CATHEDRAL 

The  pope,  centuries  ago,  declared  the  legend  au- 
thentic, and  Our  Lady  of  Guadelupe  became  the 
orthodox  patroness  of  Mexico. 

Notwithstanding  that  services  were  progressing, 
our  party  practically  took  possession  of  the  altar  to 
look  upon  the  sacred  picture  which  is  displayed  high 
up  above  where  the  priest  stands  while  officiating. 

We  were  not  molested,  as  so  many  others  have 
been  equally  rude,  and  the  services  proceeded  without 
interruption. 

The  magnificence  of  the  interior  of  the  edifice 
is  beyond  the  power  of  words  to  express.  This 
Cathedral,  besides  the  contributions  of  labor,  and 
material  in  its  buildings,  cost  upward  of  three 
million  dollars.  The  rails  of  the  stairway  leading 
up  to  the  altar  are  of  pure  silver  and  cost  forty 
thousand  dollars,  and  there  is  a  golden  crown  set 
with  diamonds  and  gems  contributed  by  the  ladies 
of  Mexico,  which  is  of  very  great  value,  and  which, 
in  addition  to  the  priceless  gems,  cost  thirty  thousand 
dollars,  for  the  gold  and  the  setting  of  the  stones  in 
the  crown.  'It  is  said  that  it  contains  more  precious 
gems  than  the  sky  does  stars. 

Next  to  the  Cathedral  is  a  neat  little  chapel  with 
a  dome  of  colored  tile.  It  is  built  over  a  bubbling 
spring  which  throws  up  enough  water  to  supply  a 

227 


MEXICO  THE  WONDERFUL 

good  sized  village.  It  is  said  that  this  is  where  the 
Virgin  met  Juan  and  that  the  spring  burst  forth  as 
a  further  sign.  It  is  a  clear  mineral  water. 

On  the  top  of  the  hill  where  it  is  said  Juan 
gathered  the  roses,  is  another  chapel  called  the 
"Chapel  of  the  Hill."  It  is  reached  by  a  winding 
stone  road  very  steep.  Back  of  it  is  a  little  cemetery, 
every  available  foot  of  which  seems  to  be  occupied 
by  mausoleums  or  tombs  of  marble  covering  the 
graves  of  many  of  the  wealthiest  and  most  illustrious 
people  of  Mexico.  Among  the  graves  we  stood  at  the 
foot  of  the  one  holding  the  remains  of  Santa  Anna, 
whose  body  rests  here,  after  a  long  and  stormy  life 
on  earth.  His  wife  lies  in  the  same  grave,  her  body 
being  buried  above  the  General's.  A  neat  but  not 
very  extensive  structure  covers  the  remains,  sur- 
mounted by  a  cross. 

From  this  cemetery  a  good  view  of  the  city  and 
valley  of  Mexico,  with  its  gardens  and  lakes,  can 
be  had. 

About  half  way  up  the  hill  are  the  celebrated 
stone  sails  of  Guadelupe.  They  are  perched  on  the 
hillside  and  are  as  large  as  the  sails  of  a  fair  sized 
yacht. 

There  are  several  stories  in  regard  to  these  sails. 
One  is  that  a  great  storm  raged  either  in  the  gulf  or 

228 


THE    STONE    SAILS 

the  Pacific  ocean,  and  that  in  the  midst  of  the  storm 
was  a  ship  that  had  lost  its  rudder  and  it  seemed 
could  never  ride  the  storm.  The  crew  made  a  vow  to 
the  Virgin  that  if  the  ship  was  saved  they  would 
carry  the  sails  overland  and  set  them  up  on  the  hill 
at  Guadelupe.  The  ship  was  saved  and  the  sailors 
did  as  they  vowed  to  do,  and  when  they  set  the  sails 
up  they  were  turned  into  solid  stone. 

Another  story  and  more  probable  one  is  that  the 
sails  when  brought  were  set  up  and  then  encased  in 
cement,  with  a  foundation  of  brick.  I  accepted  this 
story  with  more  faith,  for  at  some  places  the  cement 
had  peeled  off  and  exposed  the  bricks.  Nobody 
seems  to  know  how  long  these  sails  have  been  here, 
nor  who  placed  them  here. 

On  the  road  to  Guadelupe  are  a  number  of 
shrines  where  pilgrims  worship  as  they  proceed. 
There  is  an  old  shrine  on  the  road  to  Chapultepec. 
It  was  built  into  the  aqueduct  that  brought  the 
water  from  Chapultepec  hill  over  two  hundred  years 
ago ;  when  that  old  wonder  of  engineering  was  super- 
seded a  few  years  ago  by  all  iron  water  pipes  and  was 
torn  down  the  workmen  came  to  this  old  shrine 
and  left  it  and  then  went  beyond  and  continued  the 
work  of  destruction;  so  it  stands  there  today  like 

229 


MEXICO    THE    WONDERFUL 

some  ancient  ruin,  with  the  great  arches  broken  away 
on  either  side. 

STATUE    OF   CHARLES    IV. 

Taking  a  carriage  in  the  center  of  the  city,  go- 
ing down  San  Francisco  street,  passing  the  Alameda 
Park,  you  come  to  what  is  called  the  "Man  on  the 
Iron  Horse."  This  is  the  bronze  statue  of  Charles 
IV  of  Spain,  who  reigned  as  King  of  that  country 
from  1798  to  1808,  and  is  the  largest  single  bronze 
casting  in  the  world. 

It  was  made  in  the  city  of  Mexico  in  1802. 
It  represents  the  king  on  horseback  with  a  laurel 
wreath  upon  his  brow.  It  is  a  very  impressive  figure 
on  a  stone  base;  the  base  is  twelve  to  fifteen  feet  in 
height,  and  in  addition  to  the  base  the  statue  is  fif- 
teen feet  six  inches  more,  and  weighs  sixty  thousand 
pounds. 

There  is  one  marked  peculiarity  of  the  figure 
that  has  been  much  criticized.  While  the  king  is  rid- 
ing apparently  with  military  dignity,  he  has  no  stir- 
rups to  his  saddle,  and  if  his  feet  were  in  the  flesh  in- 
stead of  rigid  bronze,  they  would  be  hanging  loose 
at  the  sides  of  the  horse. 

This  does  not  please  the  Mexicans.  But  I  could 
hardly  see  why  anybody  should  object,  for,  as  both 
the  king  and  the  horse  are  cast  in  one  solid  piece  and 

230 


STATUE    OF    CHARLES    VI 

are  immovable,  the  king  is  not  likely  to  be  thrown 
even  if  he  lacks  stirrups. 

This  statue  has  a  considerable  history  and  it  is 
a  wonder  that  it  is  here  to-day  to  tell  its  own  story. 
It  was  erected  in  1803  in  the  Plaza  Mayor  in  front  of 
the  National  Palace.  But  before  that  time  a  model 
in  wood  covered  with  gold  leaf  occupied  the  same 
position.  The  bronze  statue,  when  it  replaced  the 
wooden  model,  remained  in  that  position  until  1813. 

In  the  meantime,  the  war  for  independence  hav- 
ing broken  out,  there  was  a  great  prejudice  against 
the  king  and  the  destruction  of  the  statue  was 
threatened.  To  protect  it,  the  authorities  enclosed 
it  in  a  great  wooden  globe  and  it  so  remained  in 
eclipse  until  1822.  The  feeling  of  antipathy  growing- 
stronger,  the  statue  was,  for  its  safer  keeping,  then 
removed  to  the  interior  of  a  university.  It  remained 
in  the  university  until  1852.  In  the  meantime,  Mexi- 
can independence  having  been  established  and  the 
feeling  of  prejudice  having  to  some  extent  subsided, 
the  statue  was  brought  from  its  hiding  place  and  set 
up  in  its  present  location,  with  an  entablature  on  the 
base  in  Spanish,  reading  that  this  statue  is  not  here 
to  do  honor  to  Charles  IV,  but  is  retained  here  mere- 
ly as  a  great  work  of  art. 

231 


MEXICO    THE    WONDERFUL 

PASEO  DE  LA  REFORMA. 

The  Faseo  de  La  Reforma  is  the  name  given  to 
one  of  the  greatest  driveways  or  boulevards  in  the 
world,  and  Mexico  has  the  honor  of  possessing  it. 
This  grand  paseo  is  a  beautiful  memorial  of  the  late 
Empress  Carlotta,  as  it  is  said  to  have  been  con- 
structed at  her  suggestion  and  by  her  influence. 

When  Maximilian  and  Carlotta  became  rulers  of 
Mexico,  the  city  extended  but  little,  if  any,  further 
than  to  the  Charles  statue.  It  was  two  miles  further 
to  the  Castle  Chapultepec,  at  an  angle  to  the  gen- 
eral lay  of  the  street  of  the  city.  It  is  said  Carlotta 
conceived  the  idea  of  this  drive,  which  was  a  magnifi- 
cent idea,  and  that  it  .was  laid  out  as  she  directed, 
but  has  been  improved  since  then. 

The  paseo  connects  with  the  streets  of  the  city 
at  the  Charles  statue.  It  is  magnificently  wide,  one 
hundred  and  seventy  feet  in  all.  In  the  center  is  a 
park  of  grass,  then  two  broad  roadways  for  carriages 
and  then  there  are  roadways  for  automobiles  and 
bicycles  and  walks  for  people  on  foot,  all  separated 
by  expanses  of  grass  which  is  green  summer  and 
winter. 

Along  the  margins  of  the  paseo  are  stone  bases 
surmounted  with  statues  of  all  the  prominent  men 
of  the  several  states,  which  were  contributed  by  the 

232 


PA8EO  DE  LA  REFORMA 

states,  and  they  are  interspersed  with  great  bronze 
urns  filled  with  growing  flowers  and  vines. 

At  frequent  intervals  the  street  widens  into 
circles,  called  "gloritas,"  four  hundred  feet  in 
diameter,  in  which  are  great  monuments  and  gigantic 
statues. 

When  the  paseo  reaches  the  Chapultepec  hill, 
which  lies  with  its  narrowest,  highest  and  most  pic- 
turesque prominence  toward  the  city,  and  is  sur- 
mounted by  the  castle,  the  roadway  divides  and 
passes  in  a  circle  on  either  side,  and  going  among  the 
great  cypress  trees  that  are  famed  in  history  and 
song,  meets  on  the  further  side,  where  it  winds  and 
leads  up  to  the  castle. 

These  great  trees  have  evidently  been  planted 
where  they  now  stand  by  the  hands  of  somebody,  but 
it  was  a  long  while  ago  and  nobody  knows  who  did 
the  good  work.  They  were  nearly  as  large  as  they 
are  now  when  the  Spanish  came  here  and  they  are 
estimated  as  being  at  least  fifteen  hundred  years  old. 
The  largest  is  called  the  tree  of  Montezuma.  It  is 
forty-six  feet  in  circumference  and  is  a  giant  among 
its  fellows.  Their  life  connects  the  present  with  the 
prehistoric  and  makes  a  human  being  with  his  limit- 
ed span  of  life  seem  like  an  insect  of  a  day. 

233 


MEXICO  THE  WONDERFUL 

THE  COMPACT  OF  DEATH. 

Chapultepec  means  grasshopper,  and  Chapul- 
tepec  castle  is  located  on  the  hill  of  that  name.  It 
is  a  combination  of  the  president's  summer  home,  a 
fortress  and  has  a  military  academy  adjoining,  simi- 
lar to  our  institution  at  West  Point  in  New  York 
state. 

It  has  been  the  home  of  the  rulers  of  Mexico 
through  all  the  years  of  history,  commencing  with 
the  Montezumas,  then  taken  by  Cortez,  then  the 
Spanish  viceroys,  then  the  presidents  and  emperors, 
and  down  to  the  present  time  when  it  is  the  summer 
home  of  President  Diaz.  It  has  been  rebuilt  and 
added  to  by  each  and  all  of  them  until  it  is  now  a 
truly  wonderful  structure. 

The  stranger's  attention  is  called  to  a  monument 
at  the  base  of  the  hill  called  the  "Cadet's  Monu- 
ment," with  which  is  connected  one  of  the  most  pa- 
thetic stories  of  Mexico  and  unfortunately  the  Amer- 
ican soldiers  were  the  unwilling  force  that  made  the 
story  possible. 

The  most  stunning  blow  and  greatest  humilia- 
tion Mexico  ever  endured  was  when  the  American 
troops  under  General  Scott  in  1847  battered  down 
the  Mexican  defences  and  took  possession  of  Cha- 
pultepec castle  and  the  City  of  Mexico. 

234 


THE    COMPACT    OF    DEATH 

The  Mexicans  knew  that  Taylor  had  defeated 
their  forces  at  Buena  Vista  and  that  the  Americans 
had  routed  the  forces  of  the  Mexicans  at  Vera  Cruz 
and  were  marching  on  toward  Mexico  City.  But 
they  could  not  realize  that  they  could  be  defeated  at 
the  capital.  They  determined  that  the  Americans 
should  never  enter  Mexico  City  and  that  they  should 
never  take  Chapultepec  castle. 

As  showing  how  intense  their  feeling  was  and 
how  they  felt  their  humiliation,  a  little  story  illus- 
trates: An  old  man  was  asked  by  an  American  a 
few  years  ago,  "How  old  are  you?"  He  answered, 
'  'I  am  eleven  years  old, ' '  and  in  explanation  he  said : 
"I  was  a  little  boy  when  the  American  troops  entered 
Mexico  City,  at  that  time  my  heart  stopped  beating 
and  existence  with  me  ceased,  and  years  are  no 
more  counted  by  me." 

But  my  preliminary  is  long.  There  were  forty- 
eight  cadets  attending  the  Chapultepec  school  when 
the  American  army  made  its  famous  assault  upon  the 
castle.  The  cadets  ranged  in  age  from  fourteen  to 
eighteen  years,  and  before  the  battle  they  entered  in- 
to a  solemn  compact,  each  with  each  and  all  with  all, 
to  surrender  only  in  death.  The  battle  of  Chapulte- 
pec was  a  picturesque  battle.  Part  of  the  American 
troops  fought  the  Mexicans  from  the  front  while  the 

235 


MEXICO  THE  WONDEEFUL 

main  force  scaled  the  hill  in  the  rear  of  the  castle 
with  ladders,  and  charged  forward  over  the  hill. 
This  movement  was  in  the  immediate  command  of 
General  Pillow  and  was  a  terrific  onslaught. 

As  the  American  army  came  on  with  their  in- 
vincible charge  and  were  mowing  down  the  ranks  of 
the  Mexicans  with  musket,  with  bayonet,  with 
canister  and  with  grape,  the  fierceness  of  the  charge 
was  too  much  for  the  old  soldiers.  They  fell  like 
wheat  before  the  scythe. 

It  was  as  though  the  mouth  of  hell  had  opened 
on  them.  They  could  not  withstand  the  oncoming 
of  the  irresistible  avalanche.  Their  ranks  wavered, 
the  survivors  fell  back,  their  solid  phalanx  was 
broken  and  they  fled  precipitously  down  the  east  side 
of  the  rugged  hill  and  the  cadets  were  left  to  their 
late. 

The  cadets  would  not  seek  shelter,  retreat 
nor  surrender.  They  were  a  brave  and  valorous 
band,  but  they  could  not  stand  before  the  American 
guns.  A  quick  charge,  a  last  volley  and  the  colors 
of  Mexico  and  the  last  of  the  cadets  went  down  to- 
gether. Not  one  of  the  boys  was  left  to  tell  the  story 
of  their  valor.  The  compact  of  death  was  com- 
pleted and  the  battle  of  Chapultepec  was  over. 

The  monument  simply  says  it  is  erected  to  the 

236 


THE    COMPACT    OF    DEATH 

cadets  who  fell  in  the  American  invasion  of  1847. 
That  is  sufficient  and  the  sad  story  which  made  the 
reason  for  its  erection  has  brought  sorrow  not  only 
to  the  hearts  of  the  Mexicans  but  to  many  an  Ameri- 
can heart  as  well.  The  cannon  captured  from  the 
cadets  of  Mexico  at  that  time  now  stands  in  the 
grounds  of  our  own  military  academy  at  West  Point 
and  should  teach  a  lesson  of  undaunted  bravery  to 
our  boys,  who  are  to  fight  the  battles  of  the  future. 

A  peculiar  thing  in  reference  to  this  great  battle 
is  the  fact  that  there  was  no  good  reason  for  it  ever 
having  been  fought.  The  Americans  went  out  of 
their  way  to  the  extreme  further  side  of  the  city  to 
engage  in  a  fight  that  was  not  necessary. 

U.  S.  Grant  at  that  time  was  a  lieutenant  in  the 
regular  army.  He  crossed  the  Mexican  border  from 
Texas  with  General  Taylor  and  marched  with  him 
to  Monterey.  He  then  returned  to  the  Rio  Grande 
river,  shipped  by  the  gulf  to  Vera  Cruz,  where  he 
joined  Scott  on  his  memorable  march  from  that  place 
to  Mexico  City,  in  the  enemy's  country,  and  was  with 
the  American  army  at  the  time  of  this  battle.  In  his 
memoirs  written  just  before  his  death  he  said:  "In 
late  years,  if  not  at  the  time,  the  battles  of  Molino  del 
Key  and  Chapultepec  have  seemed  to  me  wholly  un- 

237 


MEXICO  THE  WONDERFUL 

necessary."  The  battle  of  Molino  del  Rey  was 
fought  near  Chapultepec. 

"Molino  del  Rey ' '  means  the  mill  of  the  king,  and 
Grant  explains  how  the  troops  could  have  moved 
south  of  the  mill  and  entered  the  city  without  fight- 
ing either  of  the  battles  and  have  compelled  the 
enemy  to  evacuate  those  two  posts  without  the  firing 
of  a  gun. 

It  is  easier  to  see  such  things  thirty  or  forty 
years  after,  and  this  is  not  the  first  nor  the  last  battle 
to  be  fought  without  cause.  But  this  view  of  the 
matter  adds  further  cause  for  regret  that  the  slaugh- 
ter ever  occurred.  This  unfortunate  incident  of  a 
war  which  General  Grant  further  said  "was  a  most 
unholy  war  and  the  most  glaring  example  of  a  great 
nation  crushing  a  lesser  nation  without  just  cause, ' ' 
did  much  to  embitter  the  hearts  of  the  Mexicans 
against  the  Americans,  even  to  the  present  day. 

There  is  a  post  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Re- 
public, at  Mexico  City  at  this  time  made  up  of  sur- 
vivors of  the  American  civil  war,  who  are  now  living 
here.  They  are  a  grizzled  set  of  old  fellows.  I  met 
them  all  one  night  at  the  St.  Francis  hotel,  when  they 
came  down  to  pay  their  respects  to  General  Chaffee. 

They  go  each  year  on  the  thirtieth  day  of  May 

238 


BIVOUAC    OF    THE    DEAD 

and  decorate  the  graves  of  their  comrades  who  have 
died  and  who  are  buried  here. 

This  last  year  they  asked  the  government  here  to 
be  allowed  to  decorate  the  monument  erected  to  the 
cadets.  The  privilege  was  granted  and  they  marched 
to  the  little  monument,  for  it  is  not  a  great  shaft,  and 
there  the  old  soldiers  placed  their  tribute  of  love  to 
the  valor  of  the  cadets  who  had  died  in  battle  at  the 
hands  of  the  United  States  soldiers  fifty-eight  years 
before.  It  was  a  touching  scene  and  a  gracious  act 
of  the  grizzled  veterans,  and  has  done  much  to  elim- 
inate the  feeling  of  bitterness  that  has  existed  all 
these  years. 

As  we  passed  this  place  there  were  about  a  dozen 
of  the  cadets  of  to-day  sitting  on  a  circular  stone 
bench,  surrounding  the  monument.  I  took  off  my 
hat  to  them  and  they  all  responded  by  rising  to  their 
feet  and  returning  the  salute.  They  were  a  manly 
set  of  young  fellows  and  my  heart  went  out  to  them 
and  I  felt  as  though  I  would  like  to  stop  and  take 
each  one  by  the  hand  and  shed  tears  with  them. 

THE  BIVOUAC  OF  THE  DEAD. 

Out  of  this  same  Mexican  war  came  indirectly 
one  of  the  most  sublime  poems  ever  written  in  the 

239 


MEXICO   THE  WONDERFUL 

English  language.     It  is  familiar,  I  assume,  to  most 
of  my  readers : 

"The  muffled  drum's  sad  roll  has  beat 

The  soldiers'  last  tattoo; 
No  more  on  life's  parade  shall  meet 

That  brave  and  fallen  few; 
On  fame's  eternal  camping  ground 

Their  silent  tents  are  spread, 
And  glory  guards  with  solemn  round 

The  bivouac  of  the  dead." 

***** 

"The  neighing  troop,  the  flashing  blade, 

The  bugle's  stirring  blast, 
The  charge,  the  dreadful  cannonade, 

The  din  and  shout  are  past; 
Nor  war's  wild  notes,  nor  glory's  peal 

Shall  thrill  with  fierce  delight 
Those  breasts  that  never  more  shall  feel 

The  rapture  of  the  fight." 

There  are  several  verses  in  all,  every  one  of 
which  is  a  complete  poem  within  itself.  This  mas- 
terpiece was  written  by  Theodore  O'Hara,  a  news- 
paper man  of  Louisville,  Kentucky.  He  had  been  a 
soldier  in  the  Mexican  campaign  with  Taylor. 

After  the  war  was  over  the  bodies  of  the  Ken- 
tucky soldiers  were  brought  home  from  the  battle- 
fields of  Mexico  and  were  buried  in  the  cemetery 
at  Louisville,  and  O'Hara  prepared  this  poem  for 
that  occasion.  Scarcely  anything  more  beautiful  or 
forceful  has  ever  been  written. 

240 


CATHEDRAL     OF     MEXICO. 

"In  this  cathedral  the  great  Bishops  and  Archbishops  of 
Mexico  have  been  ordained,  and  the  only  two  emperors  Mexico 
ever  had  were  crowned  here  and  started  on  the  road  to  death." 
—Page  249. 


BIVOUAC    OF    THE    DEAD 

0  Tiara  afterwards  joined  with  the  revolution- 
ists and  fought  for  the  independence  of  Cuba,  and 
then  joined  the  Confederates  in  the  Civil  war  and 
rose  to  the  rank  of  colonel  in  that  service. 

Notwithstanding  he  had  fought  in  the  rebel 
army,  the  government  of  the  United  States  immortal- 
ized his  great  effort  by  having  it  cast  on  solid  iron 
tablets  and  it  can  be  found  to-day  in  that  shape,  pay- 
ing its  tribute  to  the  dead  in  every  national  ceme- 
tery in  the  United  States.  The  last  four  lines  of  the 
first  verse  are  also  engraved  on  a  tablet  on  one  of  the 
battlefields  of  the  Crimean  war,  away  off  across  the 
ocean. 


241 
—16 


The  Fourteenth  Letter* 

THE  SUNDAY  DRIVE. 

The  drive  Sunday  afternoon  in  the  Chapultepec 
park  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  experiences  you 
can  enjoy  while  in  Mexico.  There  are  more  car- 
riages in  this  city  than  in  any  other  place  of  its  size 
that  I  know  of,  and  the  people  here  seem  to  have  the 
best  horses  in  the  world. 

Somebody  says  why  shouldn't  they?  for  they 
get  them  from  Illinois,  Kentucky  and  Missouri,  which 
produce  the  best  horses  on  the  face  of  the  globe. 
They  buy  them  in  the  St.  Louis  market  and  pay  the 
highest  prices,  and  insist  upon  having  the  best. 

It  is  said  that  every  family  in  Mexico  of  any  pre- 
tensions will  keep  a  nice  carriage  and  a  good  carriage 
team  even  if  they  have  to  suffer  for  the  necessaries 
of  life,  and  they  usually  keep  them  right  in  their 
houses.  They  live  in  the  center  of  the  city,  that  is, 
a  great  many  of  them  do,  among  the  business  houses. 

242 


THE    SUNDAY    DRIVE 

An  archway  leads  from  the  street  into  the  court  and 
the  horses  and  carriages  and  the  servants  occupy  the 
ground  floor,  while  the  family  live  upstairs,  so  you 
can  see  there  is  nothing  too  good  for  the  horses. 

Notwithstanding  the  great  number  of  public  car- 
riages, if  you  have  not  engaged  one  in  advance,  you 
are  extremely  lucky  if  you  get  one  Sunday  after- 
noon at  all;  notwithstanding  the  rates  are  higher 
Sunday  afternoon  than  at  other  times.  It  is  the  one 
time  that  you  cannot  step  out  at  any  place  and  select 
one  of  a  dozen  carriages  in  sight. 

On  Sunday  afternoon  they  are  all  on  the  go  and 
headed  for  Castle  Ghapultepec,  and  when  you  get  to 
the  drive,  you  find  not  only  all  the  public  carriages 
and  hacks  in  the  city,  but  all  of  the  private  equipages 
as  well.  The  Paseo  de  La  Ref  orma  is  lined  up  with 
conveyances,  and  when  you  reach  the  Chapultepec 
park  or  drive,  a  wonderful  sight  is  presented. 

The  drive  is  broad  and  smooth  and  winds 
through  the  old  trees  as  described  in  my  last  letter, 
and  as  far  as  you  can  see  there  are  two  double  pro- 
cessions of  carriages,  one  double  procession  going 
west  and  the  other  east,  the  two  double  rows  divided 
by  many  mounted  policemen.  The  carriages  are  not 
in  a  rapid  trot  as  you  will  find  them  in  the  ordinary 
park  in  the  United  States,  but  are  so  crowded  to- 

243 


MEXICO   THE  WONDERFUL 

gether  that  there  can  be  nothing  in  the  way  of  speed 
beyond  the  walking  of  the  horses.  The  mounted 
police,  of  whom  there  are  a  hundred  or  more,  keep 
the  four  lines  separated  and  in  motion,  and  in  order. 
The  horses  champ  on  their  bits,  prance  on  their  feet, 
pull  on  the  lines  and  strive  to  hasten  the  procession. 
But  society,  the  drivers  and  the  police  won't  have  it 
that  way,  and  the  horses  must  conform  to  the  custom, 
so  they  go  slowly  side  by  side  up  to  one  end  of  the 
drive,  make  the  turn  and  come  down  the  other  with 
all  the  solemn  decorum  of  a  funeral  procession,  and 
then  they  make  the  turn  and  go  again. 

Sometimes  one  carriage  forges  ahead  a  little  per- 
haps, and  then  again  may  fall  back,  or  someone  may 
get  a  little  farther  ahead  like  a  fast  walker  on  a 
crowded  sidewalk,  but  there  is  no  chance  to  make 
any  great  speed,  a  walk  governing  at  all  times.  It 
is  a  sort  of  grand  party  or  sociable  on  wheels.  Men 
greet  their  friends  and  women  visit  with  their  neigh- 
bors in  the  next  carriage.  There  are  many  people 
in  the  procession,  including  all  the  "four  hundred" 
of  the  Mexican  capital. 

There  is  a  magnificent  display  of  rich  gowns, 
expensive  hats,  valuable  jewelry,  of  powdered  faces 
and  of  painted  cheeks,  for  the  women  of  Mexico  ex- 
cel in  facial  fresco  foolishness.  The  fine  teams,  the 

244 


THE    SUNDAY    DRIVE 

shiny  carriages  are  superb,  and  the  drivers  and  foot- 
men with  their  well-fitting  suits  of  tan  trousers  and 
blue  or  dark  green  coats  give  the  occasion  an  aristo- 
cratic air. 

The  great  drive  begins  at  about  four  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon  and  when  darkness  comes  on  and  the 
lamps  are  lighted  in  all  the  carriages,  it  looks  like  a 
city  moving  with  all  its  street  lamps  in  motion.  But 
soon  after  the  lamps  are  lighted  they  all  go  over  the 
great  paseo  to  their  homes  in  the  city  and  the  crowd 
disperses  as  suddenly  as  though  ordered  off  the 
track. 

There  are  two  or  three  bands  that  are  located  at 
convenient  points  in  the  park  and  the  thousands  of 
people  on  foot  make  the  occasion  a  grand  and  gala 
time. 

There  is  a  large  refreshment  pavilion  near  the 
castle,  owned  by  the  government  but  operated  by 
private  parties,  and  seats  here  on  every  Sunday  even- 
ing are  at  a  premium.  The  rattle  of  glasses  and  the 
popping  of  wine  and  champagne  bottles  on  Sunday 
evenings  seems  like  a  continuous  echo  of  the  many 
battles  that  have  been  fought  in  this  neighborhood. 

A  similar  drive  takes  place  up  town  on  the  main 
business  street  called  San  Francisco  street,  one  night 
or  more  each  week,  when  the  street  is  occupied  its 

245 


MEXICO    THE    WONDERFUL 

entire  distance  by  carriages.  But  on  Sunday  after- 
noon occurs  the  great  event  in  driving  or  visiting  on 
wheels. 

THE  CATHEDRAL  OF   MEXICO. 

The  Cathedral  of  Mexico,  although  not  the  most 
expensive,  is  the  greatest  church  edifice  in  the  new 
world,  when  its  size,  history  and  everything  else  is 
considered.  It  is  four  hundred  feet  from  north  to 
south.  It  is  nearly  two  hundred  feet  in  width,  and 
from  the  marble  floor  to  the  vaulted  ceiling  overhead 
it  is  one  hundred  and  seventy-nine  feet.  The  main 
towers,  of  which  there  are  two,  are  two  hundred  and 
four  feet  high.  The  ceiling  is  made  of  arches  of 
brick  and  cement  and  is  supported  by  twenty  im- 
mense fluted  columns.  The  ceiling  is  beautifully 
frescoed  and  embellished  with  pictures  by  great 
artists,  representing  various  religious  scenes. 

The  Cathedral  contains,  in  addition  to  the  great 
central  chamber,  fourteen  chapels,  an  equal  number 
on  each  side,  dedicated  to  fourteen  saints,  after 
whom  the  chapels  are  named.  The  most  noted  of 
these  chapels  is  that  dedicated  to  San  Felipe 
de  Jesus,  in  which  repose  certain  relics  of  that  saint 
and  the  font  where  he  was  baptized.  All  the  chapels 
contain  figures  of  the  saints  to  whom  they  are  dedi- 
cated, and  the  furnishings  of  all  are  magnificent. 

246 


CATHEDRAL    OF    MEXICO 

This  great  cathedral  was  built  on  the  plans  of 
an  architect  by  the  name  of  Alonzo  Perez  Castenada, 
which  name  I  would  assume  to  be  Spanish.  It  is 
built  on  part  of  the  site  of  the  great  Aztec  temple  of 
Tenochtitlan,  which  Cortez  destroyed  when  he  en- 
tered Mexico  City,  and  the  foundation  is  said  to  be 
constructed  of  idols  that  had  found  places  in  the  old 
temple. 

The  Spaniards,  in  order  to  wipe  out  everything 
that  pertained  to  the  religion  of  the  Aztecs,  made  a 
ruthless  destruction  of  works  of  aboriginal  art  and 
idolatry,  which  as  relics  to-day  would  be  of  inestim- 
able value  and  might  do  much  to  clear  up  the  pre- 
historic era  of  Mexico. 

When  the  Aztec  temple  was  destroyed  a  church 
was  built  here  on  the  ruins.  That  was  replaced  by 
a  cathedral,  which  was  finally  removed  or  torn  down 
to  make  room  for  the  present  edifice.  So  this  is  at 
least  the  fourth  house  of  worship  that  has  occupied 
this  site. 

The  corner  stone  was  laid  in  1573  and  the  struc- 
ture was  completed  in  1667,  while  the  towers  were 
not  completed  until  1791,  so  it  is  not  likely  that  any- 
one who  witnessed  the  laying  of  the  corner  stone  was 
there  to  attend  the  final  dedication.  The  cost  was 
estimated  at  two  million  dollars,  but  this  was  at 

247 


MEXICO    THE    WONDERFUL 

wages  of  a  few  cents  a  day  and  did  not  include  a 
great  many  contributions  of  labor  and  material  of 
which  no  account  was  kept.  The  towers  alone  cost 
about  two  hundred  thousand  dollars,  and  one  bell 
with  the  sacred  name  of  Santa  Maria  de  Guadelupe, 
measuring  nearly  twenty  feet  from  top  to  bottom, 
cost  ten  thousand  dollars.  There  is  another  bell  in 
the  other  tower  called  "Donna  Maria,"  almost  as 
large,  and  which  cost  nearly  as  much. 

There  are  great  and  celebrated  paintings  in 
every  niche  and  corner,  the  value  of  which  can  not 
be  estimated,  and  which  could  not  be  purchased  at 
any  price. 

There  are  five  altars,  the  chief  one  being  erected 
as  late  as  1850,  which  in  itself  cost  a  fortune.  There 
is  another  altar  reaching  to  the  high  ceiling.  There 
are  several  organs  of  most  remarkable  design  and 
great  volume.  The  railing  leading  to  the  choir  loft 
is  of  great  value  and  is  composed  of  gold,  silver  and 
copper. 

The  remains  of  many  distinguished  statesmen 
and  churchmen  are  buried  within  the  confines  of  this 
old  structure.  The  tomb  of  Iturbide  is  here.  His 
remains  rest  beside  those  of  the  man  who  caused  his 
execution.  Beneath  one  altar,  called  the  altar  of  the 
kings,  are  buried  the  heads  of  old  Father  Hidalgo 

248 


CATHEDRAL    OF    MEXICO 

and  his  companions,  which  were  cut  from  their 
bodies  by  order  of  the  King  of  Spain  and  displayed 
upon  spears  at  Guanajuato  as  a  warning  to  all 
patriots  who  would  take  up  arms  for  independence. 

These  heads  were  brought  here  a  few  years  ago, 
after  the  independence  of  Mexico  had  been  estab- 
lished, and  were  buried  with  great  ceremony ;  so  the 
altar  that  had  been  erected  to  honor  kings  now  does 
honor  to  those  who  defied  the  king  and  died  in  the 
cause  of  the  common  people. 

The  Mexican  man  of  the  iron  mask,  of  whom 
no  one  knows  anything,  is  also  buried  here  in  this 
edifice.  There  are  many  old  parchments  and  books 
of  antiquity  and  music  books,  with  notes  almost  as 
large  as  hen  eggs  so  they  can  be  set  up  and  several 
people  sing  from  the  same  book  at  long  distance 
without  interfering  with  or  crowding  each  other. 

In  this  cathedral  all  of  the  great  bishops  and 
archbishops  of  Mexico  have  been  ordained,  and  the 
only  two  emperors  Mexico  has  ever  had  were 
crowned  here  and  started  on  the  road  to  death. 

Notwithstanding  the  magnificence  and  grandeur 
of  this  great  edifice  there  is  no  aristocracy  among 
the  people  who  worship  therein. 

Services  proceed  in  one  or  more  of  the  chapels 
at  all  times  and  there  is  no  dividing  line  that  I  could 

249 


MEXICO    THE    WONDERFUL 

perceive  between  the  rich  and  the  poor,  the  great 
and  the  lowly,  the  richly  dressed  and  the  ragged. 
The  poor  peon  is  just  as  welcome  and  enters  with  as 
much  assurance  as  the  merchant  or  the  prince.  And 
next  to  the  lady  in  silks  and  satins,  who  kneels  upon 
the  marble,  is  the  poor  woman  in  tatters  and  rags. 

The  peddler  will  enter,  lay  down  a  pack  of  vege- 
tables or  a  bundle  of  live  chickens  and  say  his 
prayers,  or  the  woman  with  a  baby  strapped  upon 
her  back  will  enter  into  the  devotion  and  be  treated 
with  the  same  respect  as  is  accorded  any  other 
worshiper.  And  this  illustrates  the  character  of  the 
great  Catholic  church  in  all  countries  and  why  the 
name  "Church  Universal"  is  so  well  applied  to  this 
great  organization. 

A  MAP  OF  THE  CITY. 

When  going  to  a  strange  city  there  is  not  often 
a  better  way  of  getting  started  right  than  to  secure 
a  good  reliable  map  of  the  city.  Bo  when  I  was  met 
upon  the  street  by  a  "peddler"  who  displayed  a 
bundle  of  maps  printed  in  several  colors,  with  all 
the  blocks  and  parks  laid  off  in  emerald  green,  with 
crosses  to  represent  churches  and  rows  of  small  spots 
to  show  street  car  lines,  etc.,  I  eagerly  bought  one 
and  congratulated  myself  that  I  had  secured  a  prize. 

250 


MAP    OF    THE    CITY 

But  the  more  I  studied  that  map  the  more  I  got 
mixed,  and  as  it  lies  before  me  now  with  its  expanse 
of  green,  it  seems  to  twist  itself  over  itself  and  be- 
comes more  complex.  Everything  in  Mexico  City 
centers  at  the  Plaza  Mayor,  the  great  square  on 
which  the  National  palace  and  the  Cathedral  are 
located,  so  I  thought  the  street  passing  the  National 
palace  north  and  south  would  be  a  good  one  to  learn 
first.  I  would  fix  the  name  of  that  street  firmly  in 
my  mind  and  the  rest  would  then  come  easy. 

By  the  map  the  street  was  twenty-two  blocks 
long,  and  here  are  the  names  that  that  one  street  has 
and  which  I  would  have  to  crystallize  in  my  memory 
in  order  to  know  that  one  street  properly:  "la 
Rastro,"  "2  a  Rastro,"  "3  a  Rastro,"  "P  Jesus," 
"EC  Jesus,"  "I  Jesus,"  "Portuca,"  "Flamencos," 
"Palacio,"  "Seminario,"  "1  a  Relox,"  "2  a  Relox," 
"Santa  Cantilino,"  "3  a  Relox,"  "4  a  Relox," 
"Ptelequizmo,"  "5  a  Relox,"  "Zapoteros,"  "7  a 
Relox,"  "la  Puente  Blanco,"  "2  a  Puente  Blanco," 
and  "Puente  Chiciviles." 

I  could  hardly  grasp  this,  so  I  took  up  the  next 
street,  which  I  found  still  worse,  so  I  gave  up  the 
idea  of  learning  the  streets,  relegated  the  map  and 
started  out  without  much  method  to  see  what  I  could. 

It  appears  that  each  street  has  a  different  name 

251 


MEXICO    THE    WONDERFUL 

for  each  block  of  its  length.  If  it  happens  to  have 
the  same  name  for  two  or  more  blocks,  then  it  is 
designated  la,  2a,  3a,  etc.,  meaning  first,  second  and 
third,  corresponding  to  the  number  of  blocks  that  it 
happens  to  pass  without  changing  its  original  name. 
This  may  be  convenient  to  the  people  who  under- 
stand it,  and  who  know  the  city,  but  it  is  very  con- 
fusing to  a  stranger. 

An  effort  was  made  by  the  government  a  short 
time  ago  to  change  to  the  ordinary  method  of  giving 
each  street  a  single  name,  no  matter  how  many 
blocks  long  it  happened  to  be,  but  the  people  would 
not  hear  to  it;  they  do  not  like  changes,  so  the 
present  method  continued. 

While  the  city  is  not  laid  out  on  exactly  straight 
lines,  it  is  more  nearly  so  than  Boston,  Mass.,  or  the 
lower  part  of  New  York  and  several  other  cities  in 
the  United  States,  and  the  streets  are  on  the  average 
wider  than  the  streets  of  lower  New  York  or  the 
older  part  of  St.  Louis.  The  blocks  in  the  best  busi- 
ness center  are  about  as  large  or  perhaps  a  trifle 
larger  on  the  average  than  the  blocks  of  an  ordinary 
American  city,  while  a  little  further  out  they  are 
about  twice  as  large  by  the  omission  of  cross  streets 
here  and  there.  In  the  newer  part  of  the  city  there 
are  several  magnificent,  broad,  smooth,  and  well 

252 


MAP    OF    THE    CITY 

paved  streets  and  boulevards.  On  the  whole  the 
city  is  fairly  well  laid  out.  A  great  many  of  the 
streets  are  the  same  as  the  Aztecs  planned  them  be- 
fore the  Conquest. 

There  is  a  new  section  of  the  city  laid  out  near 
the  great  Paseo  de  Reforma,  mostly  occupied  by 
Americans,  which  is  called  the  American  colony.  It 
is  a  dream  in  civic  beauty,  and  semi-modern  or  north- 
ern architecture.  Many  of  the  houses  could  almost 
be  called  castles  and  they  front  on  beautiful  boule- 
vards and  would  seem  to  indicate  that  the  Americans 
who  live  here  are  certainly  prosperous  and  are  not 
spending  their  time  here  simply  for  the  betterment 
of  their  health.  The  houses  are  usually  surrounded 
by  stone  or  brick  walls. 

Along  the  paseo  there  are  large  tracts  of  vacant 
property  that  would  make  the  most  beautiful  sites 
for  residences  in  the  city.  There  are  open  ditches 
running  through  these  grounds  in  which  there  are 
always  women  washing  clothing  on  stones  and  dry- 
ing them  by  spreading  them  on  the  grass  in  the  sun, 
and  that  is  about  all  this  fine  property  is  used  for 
now.  I  was  told  that  all  of  this  ground  was  owned 
by  the  Bank  of  London,  and  that  it  could  not  be 
bought  at  any  price,  but  was  being  held  for  a  further 
increase,  so  it  remains  vacant. 

253 


MEXICO    THE    WONDERFUL 

All  prices  on  grounds  in  the  city  are  named  by 
the  square  metre,  about  39  inches  square,  not  by  the 
front  foot  as  is  the  usual  custom  in  the  United  States. 
The  residence  property  in  the  locality  of  the  Ameri- 
can colony  has  advanced  in  fifteen  or  twenty  years 
about  fifteen  or  twenty  fold  in  price.  That  is  to  say, 
lots  that  sold  at  $1.00  per  metre  fifteen  years  ago  will 
sell  at  $15.00  per  metre  now  and  the  limit  of  price, 
it  seems,  has  not  yet  been  reached.  Building  prices 
are  not  very  high  and  good  ornamental  stone  work 
done  by  stonecutters  who  do  not  know  how  to  read 
or  write,  is  quite  common  in  the  construction  of 
houses. 

THE    MARKETS  OF    MEXICO. 

The  markets  are  the  center  of  the  business  whirl 
of  every  Mexican  city,  and  their  size  and  character 
are  somewhat  surprising  to  a  person  who  has  lived 
the  greater  part  of  his  life  in  good  sized  cities  in  the 
central  west  that  never  had  a  market  house  or,  even 
if  they  did,  have  not  used  them  within  the  present 
generation. 

In  this  country,  aside  from  the  churches,  the 
markets  are  always  the  biggest  thing  in  the  city. 
The  dealers  not  only  handle  vegetables,  meat  and 
fish,  which  anybody  might  expect  to  find  in  a  market, 
but  they  keep  everything  else  that  can  be  imagined. 

254 


MEXICAN    MARKETS 

They  are  like  a  New  York  or  Chicago  department 
store,  except,  instead  of  being  operated  by  a  big 
corporation,  the  business  is  carried  on  by  several 
hundred  individual  owners. 

While  the  markets  are  kept  as  clean  as  it 
would  seem  possible,  they  have  with  all  their  con- 
glomeration of  goods,  the  butchering  of  chickens, 
cleaning  of  fish,  cooking  of  liver  and  garlic,  very  dis- 
tinctive odors.  In  fact,  all  markets  in  all  countries 
smell  bad  enough,  but  I  think  they  moderate  as  you 
go  north  and  intensify  as  you  go  south.  I  would 
estimate  that  a  good  nose  could  locate  a  Mexican 
market  at  about  three  miles,  while  the  market  in 
New  Orleans  would  probably  fall  to  two  and  a  half 
miles,  and  the  distance  would  shorten  at  Washing- 
ton, D.  C.,  to  about  two  miles,  and  then  lowering  the 
record  a  little  as  it  passes  through  new  York,  the 
Boston  market,  under  old  Faneuil  hall,  the  cradle  of 
liberty,  would  taper  down  to  about  a  mile  and  a  half 
smell. 

But  to  return  to  the  Mexican  markets  where  the 
scent  leads  us,  you  can  find  dry  goods,  notions, 
jewelry,  onyx  goods,  hardware,  groceries,  saddles, 
trunks  and  always  earthenware  and  flowers.  But 
why  enumerate?  You  can  find  everything.  Usually 

255 


MEXICO    THE    WONDERFUL 

each  dealer  handles  only  one  line  of  goods.  Hand- 
kerchiefs, if  that  is  the  line ;  sombreros,  if  that  is  the 
line;  fish  or  oranges  or  pies  or  cakes.  Each  one  de- 
voting all  of  his  limited  energy  to  his  particular  class 
of  goods. 

Most  of  the  stands  are  kept  by  women,  and  it 
seems  to  be  the  rule  that  the  women  who  have  the 
most  babies  are  oftenest  represented  in  the 
markets.  The  babies  are  as  numerous  in  the  public 
markets  as  you  would  expect  to  find  them  in  a  found- 
ling hospital  or  at  a  country  fair  on  baby  day.  They 
are  all  brown,  dark  eyed  and  dirty.  They  are  every 
place  and  in  every  -possible  position  and  among  the 
thousands  of  articles  you  will  find  them  mixed  with 
the  onions,  potatoes,  dry  goods,  etc.,  and  in  all  the 
passage  ways  and  under  everybody's  feet.  With 
all  the  people  that  are  always  coming  and  going  in 
the  big  markets,  it  is  strange  that  a  score  or  so  of 
babies  are  not  trampled  to  death  every  day  in  these 
places. 

Mexico  City  has  one  of  the  largest  if  not  the  very 
largest,  market  in  the  Republic.  It  is  near  the 
National  palace.  We  went  there  Sunday  morning 
about  half  past  nine  o'clock  and  the  rush  was  fully 
on  at  that  tune,  the  streets  in  every  direction  being 
crowded  with  people  coming  and  going. 

256 


Photo  by   Thomas  Rees. 


SUNDAY  MORNING  NEAR  THE  MARKET. 

"The   markets  are  the  centre  of  the  business  whirl   in  every 
Mexican   city." — Page  254. 


MEXICAN    MARKETS 

Goods  are  usually  delivered  without  wrappers 
and  departing  purchasers  with  arms  full  of  vege- 
tables and  hands  full  of  meat,  frequently  present  an 
uncouth  appearance.  A  good  many  people  carry 
baskets  to  and  from  the  market,  but  they  do  not  all 
do  so.  The  exceptions  are  numerous.  I  would  like 
to  rave  over  the  beauty  of  the  women  of  Mexico,  but 
I  would  not  choose  for  the  subject  of  admiration  an 
Indian  woman  coming  home  from  market  Sunday 
morning  with  her  fingers  clutched  into  a  three  pound 
chunk  of  liver  (which  can  sometimes  be  seen),  or 
dangling  a  full  size  beef  heart  at  the  end  of  the  main 
artery  to  which  it  is  by  nature  attached. 

There  is  another  market  in  Mexico  different 
from  most  any  market  which  I  have  ever  encounter- 
ed, and  yet  not  so  much  different  from  a  second-hand 
tool  store  in  any  large  city.  It  is  called  the  thieves' 
market,  and  offers  a  variety  of  goods.  Mexicans  are 
great  pilferers  and  most  of  the  goods  offered  in  the 
thieves'  market  are  supposed  to  be  stolen.  The  most 
numerous  articles  presented  for  sale  are  tools  of  all 
kinds,  pipe  nippers,  chisels,  planes,  monkey  wrenches 
and  saws,  predominating.  The  people  who  purloin 
these  small  articles  bring  them  here  and  sell  them  to 
dealers  who  sometimes  sell  them  back  to  the  same 

257 

—17 


MEXICO    THE    WONDERFUL 

people  from  whom  they  were  stolen.     It  is  easier  to 
buy  them  back  than  to  find  out  who  stole  them. 

But  while  tools  are  the  leading  articles  for  sale, 
there  is  everything  else,  including  shawls,  sombreros, 
and  shirts,  candlesticks,  crucifixes  and  coffin  plates. 
It  is  a  sad  looking  place  on  a  piece  of  ground  be- 
tween buildings,  reached  by  an  alley.  It  looks  as 
though  every  fellow  had  built  his  own  house  and 
they  are  usually  made  of  scrap  lumber  and  worn  out 
matting,  sheet  iron  or  tin.  The  stands  are  kept  by 
a  dilapidated  looking  set  of  fellows  and  altogether 
it  is  more  interesting  in  reputation  and  name  than  in 
fact.  But  everybody  goes  there  and  you  have  to 
follow  the  crowd,  to  say  that  you  have  seen  Mexico. 
Some  people  think  they  can  find  rare  bargains  here 
in  stolen  articles  but  they  don't  often  do  so,  and 
sometimes  get  their  pockets  picked  while  looking  for 
a  bargain  in  stolen  goods. 

THE    NATIONAL    PAWNSHOP. 

The  National  pawnshop  is  a  large  structure  built 
upon  the  location  of  one  of  the  Montezuma  palaces. 
The  pawnshop  was  founded  by  a  wealthy  Spanish 
miner  in  1774,  who  endowed  it  with  three  hundred 
thousand  dollars  in  cash.  It  first  loaned  money  on 
articles  of  most  all  kinds  without  interest,  and  when 

258 


THE     NATIONAL    PAWNSHOP 

the  article  was  redeemed,  the  owner  was  supposed  to 
make  a  gift  for  charity.  It  was  founded  to  prevent 
the  regular  pawnbroker  from  taking  advantage  of 
the  needy.  A  small  percentage  is  now  charged  on 
loans.  It  is  low  as  compared  with  ordinary  pawn- 
brokers' rates. 

If  any  article  is  not  redeemed  it  is  placed  on 
sale  with  a  fair  selling  price  attached.  If  it  sells 
the  first  month,  the  difference  between  the  price  at 
which  it  is  sold  and  the  amount  at  which  it  is 
pledged,  is  paid  to  the  owner.  If  it  is  not  sold,  the 
price  is  marked  down  about  ten  per  cent  and  it  is 
exposed  for  sale  for  another  month,  and  so  it  is 
marked  down  each  month  until  it  reaches  the  amount 
of  the  pledge,  and  then  if  not  redeemed  or  sold,  it  is 
sold  at  a  regular  auction  sale  which  is  held  each 
month,  to  dispose  of  such  articles. 

I  don't  think  even  then  everything  sells,  for  I 
noticed  several  tomb  stones  and  a  "grasshopper" 
country  cylinder  newpaper  press  built  in  Madison, 
Wisconsin,  that  looked  as  though  they  had  been 
there  a  long  while  with  no  bidders.  There  are  many 
articles  here  that  perhaps  never  will  sell. 

There  are  flatirons,  candlesticks  and  other  small 
articles  and  there  are  old  style  fine  furniture  and 
long  mirrors,  whose  presence  here  their  tale  of  ruin 

259 


MEXICO   THE   WONDERFUL 

tells.  The  American  tourist  who  is  always  looking 
for  something  for  nothing  always  comes  here  for  the 
goods,  and  frequently  goes  away  well  pleased  with 
nothing  for  something. 


260 


The  Fifteenth  Letter* 

OUR  AMBASSADOR. 

Just  around  the  corner  from  the  Iturbide  hotel 
in  Mexico  City,  is  a  rather  extensive  book  store  kept 
by  a  man  named  Blake.  I  had  the  honor  of  meeting 
in  his  store  the  new  ambassador  to  Mexico,  Mr. 
Thompson,  of  Nebraska.  He  is  a  man  of  great  dig- 
nity and  of  good  appearance,  and  seems  to  be  an  ex- 
cellent gentleman. 

Mr.  Thompson,  when  at  home,  lives  at  Lincoln, 
which  is  also  the  home  of  Hon.  W.  J.  Bryan.  On 
telling  him  that  I  was  a  friend  of  Mr.  Bryan,  he  inti- 
mated in  a  polite  manner  that  he  and  Mr.  Bryan 
were  of  quite  opposite  views  on  several  very  import- 
ant questions.  This  I  might  have  imagined.  I 
thought  though  that  he  might  be  glad  to  know  that  I 
was  acquainted  with  some  one  from  his  home  town, 
but  I  do  not  think  now  that  my  reference  to  Ameri- 
ca's most  illustrious  private  citizen  did  much  to  ad- 
vance me  in  the  cordial  esteem  of  our  ambassador  to 
Mexico. 

261 


MEXICO    THE    WONDERFUL 

DISCOVERED    BOB    BURDETTE. 

Mr.  Blake,  who  keeps  this  store,  has  the  distinc- 
tion of  being  the  first  man  to  fully  appreciate,  at  his 
true  worth,  R.  J.  Burdette,  the  newspaper  man, 
humorist,  author,  lecturer  and  preacher. 

Way  back  in  the  seventies  Mr.  Blake  was  run- 
ning the  Hawkeye,  a  republican  newspaper,  at  Bur- 
lington, la.,  while  Mr.  Clendenin,  the  present  editor 
of  the  Illinois  State  Register,  and  the  writer  of  these 
lines  were  trying  to  run  a  democratic  paper  in  Eeo- 
kuk,  the  next  town  below  Burlington  in  the  same 
state.  The  late  Enoch  Emery,  of  Peoria,  was  pub- 
lishing the  Transcript  in  Peoria,  near  Springfield, 
Illinois. 

None  of  us  were  doing  any  too  well,  but  like  the 
man  playing  the  organ,  we  were  all  doing  the  best  we 
knew  how.  Bob  Burdette  at  that  time  was  a  "  harum 
scarum"  young  reporter  on  Mr.  Emery's  paper,  and 
insisted  on  filling  the  local  columns  with  more  fun 
than  news.  Mr.  Emery  was  a  man  who  thought  a 
glint  of  humor  was  an  invention  of  the  devil  and  that 
everything  in  life,  and  especially  in  journalism, 
should  only  pertain  to  or  be  based  on  stern  facts.  He 
was  one  of  those  fellows  who  had  as  a  text,  "Life  is 
real,  life  is  earnest,  and  the  grave  is  not  its  goal," 
etc.  As  Bob  continued  to  write  humorous  articles 

262 


DISCOVERED     BURDETTE 

for  the  Transcript,  Emery  called  him  in  one  day  and 
told  him  that  he  wanted  it  stopped,  that  hereafter 
when  he  wanted  anything  funny  in  the  Transcript, 
he  would  write  it  himself.  This  was  a  rare  piece  of 
humor  that  Bob  appreciated,  but  Emery  did  not  even 
see  the  humor  in  his  own  suggestion.  Bob  was  sup- 
pressed temporarily,  and  things  ran  along  smoothly 
in  the  Transcript  office  for  a  while. 

The  steamboats  used  to  come  from  St.  Louis  up 
to  Peoria  those  days,  but  outside  of  that  Peoria  was 
just  as  dull  then  as  it  is  now,  so  one  day  there  was 
nothing  going  on  except  a  dog  fight,  and  as  that  was 
all  Bob  had  to  work  upon,  he  worked  it  to  a  finish. 
Not  only  as  to  the  dog  fight,  but  also  to  his  own  finish, 
as  well. 

There  was  three  columns  of  it,  about  five  per  cent 
of  it  fact,  five  per  cent  actual  dog  fight,  and  ninety 
per  cent  of  it  made  up  from  Burdette's  humorous 
imagination.  It  was  a  great  article  on  dog  fighting, 
a  great  article  as  far  as  humor  went,  but  it  didn't 
suit  Emery  at  all. 

When  he  arose  in  the  morning  and  got  his  paper, 
and  discovered  the  article,  he  was  horrified ;  the  mar- 
row was  congealed  in  his  bones  and  the  words  froze 
in  his  throat,  but  his  brain  was  on  fire. 

He  hurried  to  the  office  to  get  the  offender's 

263 


MEXICO    THE    WONDERFUL 

scalp  and  discharged  Burdette  peremptorily,  then 
and  there,  so  Bob  was  out  of  a  job. 

Mr.  Blake,  as  soon  as  he  heard  that  Burdette  was 
at  liberty,  took  the  first  train  for  Peoria,  hired  Bur- 
dette, took  him  back  to  Burlington  with  him,  and  put 
him  to  work  on  the  Hawkeye,  giving  him  full  swing, 
and  in  less  than  a  year  the  Burlington  Hawkeye  was 
the  most  quoted  and  best  known  paper  in  the  United 
States. 

Burdette  grew  with  the  paper.  After  awhile  he 
wrote  a  lecture  called  the  "Rise  and  Fall  of  the 
Mustache, ' '  and  came  down  to  Keokuk  to  try  it  on  us. 
He  wanted  to  try  it  on  somebody  that  was  easy  at 
first,  so  he  came  to  Keokuk.  We  all  went  on 
complimentary  tickets  to  help  him  out.  Then 
we  laughed  at  the  right  places,  shed  tears  at  the  pa- 
thetic places,  and  applauded  vigorously  at  the  close. 
Burdette  concluded  it  was  a  success  and  forthwith 
became  a  lecturer,  made  all  kinds  of  money  and  is 
now  a  preacher  in  a  fine  big  church  in  Los  Angeles, 
California.  He  went  to  Los  Angeles  because  they 
wanted  preaching  there  and  wanted  it  bad. 

The  Hawkeye  prospered.  The  Transcript,  none 
too  prosperous  before,  started  down  hill.  Emery 
finally  had  to  give  it  up  and  he  died  a  poor  man. 
Blake,  by  hard  work  and  too  much  confinement  in  a 

2S4 


AUTOMOBILE     RIDE 

newspaper  office,  appeared  to  be  heading  toward  a 
consumptive's  grave,  so  he  gave  up  the  newspaper 
business,  went  to  rough  it  in  Colorado,  helped  to  sur- 
vey the  Denver  &  Rio  Grande  railroad,  went  into  the 
mining  business,  drifted  down  into  Mexico,  and  is 
now  a  man  of  perhaps  sixty  years  of  age,  and  looks 
hale  and  hearty,  and  is  deserving  of  a  vote  of  thanks 
for  having  introduced  to  the  world  one  of  America's 
most  charming  characters,  our  old  friend,  Bob  Bur- 
dette. 

AN  AUTOMOBILE   RIDE. 

Mexico  is  up  in  most  everything.  In  fact,  a 
stranger  would  be  surprised  to  see  how  our  southern 
neighbors  have  taken  to  modern  inventions.  There 
are  automobiles  to  take  you  about  the  city,  there  are 
agencies  for  the  horseless  carriages,  where  very  fine 
displays  are  kept  on  exhibition.  There  are  sewing 
machine  agencies,  there  are  stores  full  of  typewriters, 
other  stores  full  of  big  stocks  of  bicycles,  phono- 
graphs, plumbing  goods,  telephones,  cash  registers, 
road  rollers,  stone  crushers,  and  nearly,  if  not  all,  the 
things  you  will  find  in  any  great  American  city.  All 
American  manufacturers  of  such  things  are  pushing 
their  goods  vigorously  in  Mexico,  and  many  are  get- 
ting substantial  returns. 

As  the  automobile  is  ready,  we  take  it  for  a  ride 

265 


MEXICO    THE    WONDERFUL 

and  there  is  no  better  way  to  see  the  city.  The  man 
who  runs  it  knows  all  the  interesting  places  and  ex- 
plains the  history  connected  with  a  good  many  of 
them.  On  the  ride  you  are  impressed  with  the  fact 
that  the  Mexicans  have  been  so  much  kinder  to  the 
Indians  than  we  have  that  we  must  commend  them 
on  that  account. 

They  not  only  have  allowed  them  to  live,  but 
they  have  honored  them  in  many  ways.  Their  two 
greatest  statesmen  elected  to  the  office  of  president 
have  both  been  Indians.  There  are  several  statues 
erected  to  Indians  in  Mexico  City,  the  one  of  Cua- 
uhtemoc on  the  Paseo  Ref  orma,  being  one  of  the 
greatest  in  the  republic.  Cuauhtemoc  was  the  last 
of  the  Aztec  emperors. 

Did  you  ever  see  the  statue  of  an  Indian  in  any 
city  in  America?  I  think  not,  unless  it  was  a  wooden 
one  being  overworked  in  front  of  a  cigar  store. 

You  pass  in  your  ride  the  house  where  lived  Mar- 
shal Bazaine,  the  French  general  who  commanded  the 
French  troops,  who  partly  sustained  Maximilian. 
You  swing  by  the  Alameda,  a  beautiful  park.  You 
come  by  an  old  church  on  the  corner  where  a  tablet 
says,  this  chapel  was  erected  to  commemorate  the 
death  of  many  Spaniards  who  were  killed  by  the  Az- 
tecs at  the  time  of  the  Conquest.  It  is  encouraging  to 

266 


HACKS    AND     STREET     CARS 

find  one  place  where  Aztecs  had  the  best  of  it.  You 
go  by  an  old,  but  modern  looking  house,  completely 
covered  by  colored  tiles  on  the  outside.  You  pass 
the  great  new  postoffice  that  is  a  magnificent  example 
of  stone  work  done  by  the  most  ignorant  of  stone- 
cutters. You  go  by  the  National  School  of  Mineral- 
ogy, said  to  be  the  greatest  school  devoted  to  the 
study  of  minerals  in  the  world.  You  pass  the  lean- 
ing tower,  which  is  a  relic  of  an  earthquake  that 
happened  many  years  ago.  You  are  shown  many 
interesting  objects  and  places,  but  we  cannot  enumer- 
ate them  all,  nor  will  we  try  to.  Taken  all  through, 
a  ride  in  an  automobile  through  the  streets  of  the 
old  capital  that  have  resounded  to  the  tread  of  his- 
toric armies,  is  an  interesting  experience  and  one 
which  I  shall  long  remember. 

HACKS  AND  STREET  CARS. 

The  hack  service  of  Mexico  is  remarkably  good 
and  wonderfully  cheap.  Hacks  are  divided  into 
three  classes,  although  there  are  not  many  of  the 
third  class  now.  The  first-class  have  a  blue  stripe 
across  the  door  and  blue  bands  around  the  hubs.  The 
second-class  have  red  stripes,  and  the  third-class 
have  yellow.  The  rates  are  about  one-half  what  they 
are  in  the  United  States,  for  the  first  class,  and  are 

267 


MEXICO   THE   WONDERFUL 

still  below  that  for  the  second  and  third  classes. 
Each  hackman  has  a  small  metal  flag  attached  to  the 
end  of  his  seat  that  shows  by  its  color  the  class  to 
which  he  belongs.  This  is  turned  down  when  he  is 
engaged  and  is  thrown  up  when  he  is  open  for  an 
engagement.  This  is  a  good  idea. 

A  'peculiar  custom  prevails  on  the  street  cars.  It 
is  said  that  the  company  used  all  kinds  of  devices 
to  stop  the  purloining  of  fares  by  the  conductors  of 
the  cars,  but  couldn't  succeed,  until  they  organized 
a  lottery  which  is  operated  in  connection  with  the 
street  car  system.  Now,  whenever  a  passenger  pays 
fare  on  the  car  the  conductor  gives  him  a  lottery 
ticket,  then  as  the  car  has  moved  forward  a  few 
blocks,  another  man,  called  an  inspector,  hops  onto 
the  car  and  punches  the  lottery  ticket  to  be  sure  that 
you  have  it.  Then  every  month  there  is  a  drawing 
and  enough  people  are  given  prizes  to  keep  up  inter- 
est in  the  tickets.  The  custom  is  said  to  have  in- 
creased the  revenue  of  the  street  car  company  thirty- 
three  per  cent.  Everybody  wants  a  lottery  ticket 
and  as  the  conductor  must  answer  for  every  ticket  he 
has  disposed  of,  the  company  is  pretty  sure  of  all 
returns. 

When  I  left  Mexico  I  had  my  pockets  lined  with 
lottery  tickets,  but  I  have  never  heard  whether  or 

263 


LA    VIGA    CANAL 

not  I  have  drawn  the  capital  prize.  I  am  somewhat 
opposed  to  lotteries,  and  when  I  got  the  first  ticket 
I  gave  it  to  a  native,  and  as  a  consequence  when  the 
inspector  came  on,  who  was  an  actor  in  the  farce 
that  I  had  not  counted  upon,  I  came  very  near  be- 
ing thrown  off  the  car  because  I  didn't  have  a  ticket. 

LA  VIGA  CANAL. 

A  trip  in  the  La  Viga  canal  to  the  so-called  float- 
ing gardens  is  an  experience  that  can  not  well  be 
missed,  if  you  have  a  desire  to  see  the  interesting 
side  of  Mexico,  and  in  making  it  you  follow  in  the 
path  of  so  many  illustrious  predecessors,  that  you 
may  excuse  yourself  for  indulging  in  what  might 
otherwise  be  considered  a  foolish  excursion. 

Statesmen,  warriors,  eminent  writers,  artists  and 
poets  have  all  traveled  this  route  and  each  and  all 
have  added  their  estimate  to  the  wonders  of  the  trip, 
so  why  not  join  the  list  and  dote  upon  the  grand  old 
canal  as  they  have  done  before  you. 

The  La  Viga  canal  commences  at  the  City  of 
Mexico  and  runs  to  Lake  Xochimilco,  sixteen  miles 
south  of  the  city.  The  water  runs  from  Xochimilcho 
down  the  canal  to  the  City  of  Mexico,  that  lake  being 
higher  than  the  city,  then  the  water  continues  on  in 
another  canal  and  empties  into  the  great  tunnel 
through  the  mountain  that  was  constructed  to  drain 

269 


MEXICO    THE    WONDERFUL 

the  city.  This  canal  was  constructed  in  a  measure, 
and  used  by  the  Aztecs,  even  before  the  Conquest. 

On  the  route  between  the  city  and  Lake 
Xochimilco  are  the  so-called  floating  gardens,  the 
most  productive  gardens  on  the  face  of  the  globe. 
The  canal  is  utilized  to  bring  in  this  garden  truck, 
also  chickens,  goats,  sheep,  etc.,  in  sufficient  quanti- 
ties to  supply  this  city  of  over  a  third  of  a  million  of 
(people,  also  for  conveying  general  merchandise, 
wood,  charcoal,  etc.,  and  for  ferrying  people  to  and 
fro,  and  for  pleasure  boating. 

It  is  also  used  as  a  universal  laundry,  and  for 
the  washing  of  vegetables,  for  bathing,  for  drinking 
and  for  other  uses  and  purposes  nameable  and  un- 
nameable.  It  is  about  the  busiest  streak  of  water  in 
the  universe,  and  as  the  sides  are  of  common  soil  and 
the  bottom  of  mud,  it  is  about  as  foul  a  looking 
stream  as  one  would  be  likely  to  find  in  a  long  day's 
travel. 

The  gondolas  that  float  upon  the  water  of  this 
canal  are  of  an  entirely  different  type  than  those 
which  appear  in  Venetian  pictures.  In  fact,  these 
are  what  are  ordinarily  known  in  our  country  by  the 
unpoetical  name  of  ' '  flat  boats. ' '  They  are  propelled 
by  one  or  more  men,  according  to  the  size  of  the  boat, 
who  stand  up  in  the  craft,  and  with  a  round  pole 

270 


LA    VIGA    CANAL 

about  ten  or  twelve  feet  long  shove  vigorously  on 
the  bottom  of  the  canal.  There  are  over  a  thousand 
of  these  gondolas,  and  they  vary  in  size  from  less  than 
two  feet  wide  by  ten  or  twelve  feet  long,  to  as  wide 
as  ten  feet  and  as  long  as  forty  feet.  The  average 
size,  however,  is  about  five  by  fifteen  feet.  Such  a 
boat  will  carry  about  a  dozen  people. 

A  party  of  about  a  dozen  of  us  engaged  such  a 
boat  at  the  city  end  of  the  canal  one  Saturday  after- 
noon. The  villain  who  controlled  it  was,  like  his 
many  competitors,  so  completely  saturated  with 
pulque,  the  national  drink,  that  he  hardly  knew  in 
what  direction  the  canal  lay.  Owing  to  the  heavy 
load  we  insisted  that  he  should  have  another  man  to 
help  him  in  order  to  make  average  time.  So  punch- 
ing his  pole  into  the  mud  in  the  bottom  of  the  canal 
as  an  anchor,  he  put  into  my  hands  the  job  of  holding 
onto  the  pole  while  he  went  to  look  for  help. 

This  gave  me  an  excellent  opportunity  to  study 
the  beauty  of  the  start.  On  both  sides  of  the  ditch 
were  heaps  of  dried  and  decaying  vegetable  trim- 
mings and  cast  off  debris  from  the  landing  and  clean- 
ing out  of  many  boats.  These  monuments  were 
backed  by  huge  piles  of  stove  wood  that  had  been 
unloaded  by  boats  and  was  being  hauled  away  in 
carts.  Back  of  these  across  the  street  were  a  row  of 

271 


MEXICO    THE    WONDERFUL 

drinking  places  and  a  crowd  of  fellows  trying  to  get 
up  a  fight.  A  few  feet  from  the  boat  were  several 
women  washing  clothes  on  the  stones  and  drying 
them  on  the  uninviting  shores.  Next  to  them  was 
another  woman  washing  her  feet  in  the  canal  and  a 
little  further  on  was  a  woman  washing  her  face  in 
the  water  which  was  absolutely  vile,  and  still  another 
woman  washing  and  trimming  up  vegetables  for  the 
market.  We  were  surrounded  by  cabbage  leaves  and 
other  loose  material  floating  in  the  water  and  the 
smells  of  all  the  surroundings  were  well  mixed  to- 
gether. 

Our  boat  was  ornamented  with  a  canopy  top 
covered  with  red,  white  and  blue  muslin,  and  to  the 
extent  of  our  canopy  top  we  were  more  aristocratic 
than  most  of  the  people  around  us. 

Carriages  and  street  cars  were  emptying  new 
victims  of  the  trip  in  rapid  succession,  boatmen 
were  clamoring  for  passengers  and  the  competition 
in  offers  for  passage  fluctuated  more  rapidly  than 
prices  of  grain  or  stocks  on  the  floor  of  a  board  of 
trade  when  a  panic  is  on.  The  price  on  a  particu- 
lar boat  would  scale  from  three  dollars  down  to 
fifty  cents  and  up  again  in  three  minutes. 

Finally  our  gondolier  returned  with  a  very  lame 
man  with  one  very  short  leg,  but  this  proved  no 

272 


LA    VIGA    CANAL 

serious  disadvantage,  as  he  could  stand  with  the 
long  leg  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat  and  balance  him- 
self nicely  on  the  edge  of  the  boat  with  the  shorter 
leg.  So  we  drew  up  the  anchor  and  were  off  for 
the  voyage. 

It  was  a  feast  day,  which  is  altogether  the  best 
occasion  to  choose  for  this  trip.  The  canal  was 
full  of  boats  and  all  the  boats  were  filled  with 
merry  excursionists,  men,  women  and  children. 
Some  were  dressed  in  very  bright  colors.  Some 
carried  huge  bouquets,  some  carried  and  played 
mandolins,  banjos  and  guitars,  some  had  an  orches- 
tra of  several  instruments  and  many  sang  songs  and 
choruses  as  they  proceeded  and  all  the  natives  who 
came  near  us  evidently  made  us  the  subjects  of  their 
songs  and  jests. 

The  canal  was  speckled  with  boats,  almost  as 
completely  as  a  busy  street  in  a  large  city  is  crowded 
with  teams  and  trucks,  and  it  seemed  a  good  many 
times  as  though  we  should  meet  with  collisions, 
as  all  the  gondoliers  seemed  to  be  pretty  well  in- 
toxicated, but  this  business  has  been  going  on  in 
this  canal  for  about  five  hundred  years  and  these 
drunken  sailors  have  become  quite  expert  in  the 
use  of  a  punting  pole.  As  I  understand  it,  they 

273 
—18 


MEXICO    THE    WONDERFUL 

propel  boats  the  same  here  as  they  do  in  the  upper 
end  of  the  river  Thames  in  England. 

The  street  car  lines  and  the  roadways  along 
each  side  of  the  canal  were  nearly  as  crowded  as  the 
canal.  Mounted  squads  of  police  and  police  on 
foot  scattered  all  along  the  way  preserved  good  or- 
der, and  the  occasion  seemed  a  happy  one  for  every- 
body. 

We  passed  under  several  railway  and  street  car 
bridges,  and  then  we  came  to  a  double  arch  stone 
bridge  very  low.  Each  arch  was  about  ten  feet 
wide  and  but  little  over  two  feet  above  the  water  in 
the  highest  place,  and  the  bridge  being  wide,  gave 
considerable  length  to  the  tunnels  under  it.  We 
were  all  directed  by  the  sign  language  to  lie  down 
in  the  bottom  of  the  boat.  The  strings  that  held 
our  canopy  were  loosened,  the  frame,  made  of  2x4 
scantling,  fell,  striking  one  of  our  party  a  blow  on 
the  head  that  sounded  like  the  breaking  of  a  cocoa- 
nut.  Then  our  gondolier  turned  over  on  his 
back  in  the  bow  of  the  craft  and  by  walking  with 
his  bare  feet  on  the  underside  of  the  arch,  like  a 
fly  walking  on  the  ceiling,  pulled  the  boat  through 
one  of  the  tunnels. 

On  the  return  trip  there  was  such  a  congestion 
of  traffic  in  the  tunnels,  one  passage  of  which  had 

274 


LA    VIGA    CANAL 

got  stopped  up,  that  there  was  a  scramble  equal  to 
a  rush  at  a  bargain  counter.  So  our  ladies  con- 
cluded to  take  the  overland  route  and  walk  around 
the  bridge  on  dry  land  and  take  the  boat  after  it 
had  emerged. 

We  had  added  another  gondolier  by  this  time 
and  in  the  little  riot  under  the  bridge  our  fellows, 
who  were  well  filled  with  pulque  and  recklessness, 
held  their  own  and  got  through  in  fairly  good  shape. 

On  the  up  trip  we  went  several  miles  until  we 
came  to  a  dilapidated  little  town  mostly  of  mud 
houses,  where  they  sold  Wienerwursts,  tortillas, 
steaks  of  horse  meat,  and  drinks,  and  where  the 
feast  was  being  celebrated.  The  town  was  deco- 
rated for  the  occasion  and  swings  and  other  appar- 
atus for  sport  had  been  erected. 

I  was  much  struck  with  one  contrivance,  and 
challenged  each  and  every  one  of  our  party  to  try 
it  with  me,  but  they  all  declined.  The  contrivance 
consisted  of  the  rough  trunk  of  a  straight  tree  set 
in  the  ground  about  as  tall  as  a  fair  sized  telegraph 
pole ;  resting  on  top  of  this  was  a  double  cross  made 
of  two  good  pieces  of  scantling  about  six  feet  long 
with  a  bolt  in  the  center  for  a  pivot  on  which  they 
turned,  like  a  windmill  lying  on  its  side.  From 
each  of  the  four  ends  of  the  cross  hung  a  rope,  com- 

275 


MEXICO   THE   WONDERFUL 

ing  within  about  thirty  inches  of  the  ground,  with 
a  loop  on  the  end.  Four  men  would  each  buy  a 
ticket  for  the  ride,  then  each  of  them  would  put 
the  left  leg  through  one  of  the  loops  and  at  the 
word  would  start  on  a  rapid  run  around  the  main 
shaft,  ever  and  anon  taking  a  leap  which  would 
swing  them  high  out  over  the  canal  bank.  As  the 
momentum  was  furnished  by  all  four  of  the  run- 
ners, no  one  man  could  control  his  own  actions  or 
his  own  speed,  neither  could  one  stop  until  all 
were  worn  out. 

It  seemed  to  me  in  the  way  of  sport,  a  good  deal 
like  earning  your  fare  on  a  canal  boat  by  driving 
the  mule  on  the  tow  path.  But  the  four  men  dang- 
ends  of  webs  made  about  as  much  sport  for  the 
ends  of  webs  made  about  as  much  sport  for  the 
spectators  as  it  did  for  riders  or  performers,  and  I 
didn't  know  but  that  they  should  have  been  paid 
for  what  they  did  to  amuse  the  crowd  instead  of 
being  charged  for  their  share  of  the  entertainment. 

THE  FLOATING  GARDENS. 

It  is  said  that  in  days  long  gone  when  there 
was  more  water  in  this  valley  than  now,  many  of  the 
gardens  were  actually  floating,  being  thatched  to- 
gether with  roots  and  fibres,  but  of  late  years  they 
are  a  series  of  irrigated  gardens  divided  by  small 

276 


THE    FLOATING    GARDENS 

canals  and  have  the  appearance  of  floating  in  the 
surrounding  water.  They  are  magnificently  pro- 
ductive gardens,  blooming  and  growing  every  day 
in  the  year. 

They  are  laid  out  in  sections  about  twenty  feet 
wide  and  one  hundred  feet  long,  as  regular  as  the 
blocks  of  a  city,  the  strips  of  water  taking  the  place 
of  streets.  Everything  is  raised  in  these  gardens 
and  the  flowers  produced  are  abundant  and  beau- 
tiful. There  are  acres  and  acres  of  these  gardens, 
for  it  takes  lots  of  acreage  to  supply  a  place  the  size 
of  the  City  of  Mexico. 

It  seems  to  be  the  custom  to  gather  these  flow- 
ers and  vegetables  and  wash  and  dress  them  as  they 
float  down  the  canal.  The  lettuce,  the  glowing  red 
radishes,  the  strawberries,  and  the  flowers  look  very 
nice  as  they  arrive  at  the  end  of  the  journey,  but 
after  you  have  seen  these  things  washed  in  this 
canal  you  swear  off  on  eating  any  more  uncooked 
garden  truck  while  staying  in  Mexico. 

We  took  small  boats  and  passed  among  these 
gardens  and  secured  some  nice  flowers  on  the  way. 
We  returned  to  the  city  over  the  same  route  and 
there  were  more  boats,  more  rush,  and  more  music 
than  on  the  trip  out.  We  enjoyed  at  least  the 
novelty  of  the  ride  and  when  we  get  home  and 

277 


MEXICO    THE   WONDERFUL 

people  say  to  us,  "You  ought  to  see  the  grand  canal 
of  Venice,"  we  can  say  to  them  in  return,  "Yon 
do  not  know  anything  about  canals.  You  have 
never  seen  the  grand  canal  of  Mexico." 


278 


The  Sixteenth  Letter* 

BULL  FIGHTING   IN   MEXICO. 

It  is  hardly  possible  to  write  up  Mexico  without 
a  chapter  on  bull  fighting.  There  was  such  an  ex- 
hibition in  the  city  at  the  time  we  were  there,  but 
we  did  not  care  to  see  it.  There  is  no  good  reason 
why  anybody  should  want  to  see  such  an  exhibition, 
still  many  good  people  go  to  see  bull  fights  while 
visiting  here.  But  a  kind  hearted  person  is  not 
liable  to  want  to  see  more  than  one  tournament. 

Bull  fighting  was  carried  on  in  Greece  many 
centuries  ago,  and  also  in  Rome,  but  was  afterwards 
forbidden  by  the  popes  and  emperors.  Charles 
IV  of  Spain,  whose  colossal  statue  stands  in  the 
City  of  Mexico,  prohibited  the  practice  in  Spain 
in  his  day,  but  it  afterwards  was  restored  by  his 
successor.  Spain  and  Mexico,  and  maybe  a  few 
countries  in  South  America,  are  the  only  places 
where  it  is  practiced  now.  It  has  been  forbidden 
in  Cuba  since  the  American  occupation,  and  is  only 
carried  on  in  a  few  places  in  Mexico  at  this  time. 

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MEXICO    THE    WONDERFUL 

The  so-called  sport  in  our  sister  republic  is 
copied  from  that  of  Spain.  In  fact,  in  every  place 
in  the  world  where  bull  fighting  takes  place,  it  is 
patterned  after  the  contests  that  take  place  in  the 
ring  at  Madrid,  and  most  of  those  who  are  the  active 
principals  in  the  ring  are  native  Spaniards,  and  re- 
cently from  Spain  and  educated  in  the  home  coun- 
try. 

A  few  years  ago  one  of  the  State  Press  Asso- 
ciations visited  Mexico  City  and  as  a  compliment 
to  such  distinguished  visitors  an  extraordinary  ex- 
hibition was  given.  I  here  present  a  letter 
written  at  that  time,  which  is  just  as  new  now 
as  then,  as  there  has  been  no  material  change  in  the 
manner  of  bull  fighting  in  many  years. 

It  is  a  brutal  exhibition  of  animal  torture  and 
the  greatest  wonder  is  that  it  has  been  continued 
and  tolerated  so  long.  Here  is  a  faithful  account 
of  one  exhibition ;  the  reader  may  draw  conclusions : 

The  fighters  are  divided  into  classes  or  de- 
grees— the  Matador  or  Espada  being  at  the  top  of 
the  heap;  he  might  be  called  the  "thirty-second 
degree"  bull  fighter. 

The  Matador  is  the  artist  who  plunges  a  sword 
into  the  bull  through  his  heart,  giving  him  his  death 
blow. 

280 


BULL    FIGHTING 

The  Banderilleros  are  those  who  strike  Ban 
derillas  into  the  shoulders  of  the  beast.      The  Ban- 
derillero  is  the  next  grade  lower  actor  than  the 
Matador. 

The  next  fighter  is  the  Picador.  He  rides  on 
horseback,  with  a  long  pole  to  guard  himself  from 
the  attacks  of  the  bull.  He  is  the  next  grade  lower 
than  the  Banderilleros. 

The  next  fellows  are  the  Gapedores.  These 
are  the  men  who  flaunt  the  red  cloaks  in  the  face  of 
the  bull  in  order  to  divert  him  from  the  fighters. 

The  next  are  the  Cacheteros.  These  are  the 
butchers  who,  with  short  dirk  knives,  finish  the  bull 
after  he  is  down. 

In  addition  to  these  are  a  large  number  of 
helpers  and  other  low-bred  supernumeraries  who 
help  the  horses  on  their  feet  when  they  fall,  pull 
out  the  Picadors  when  they  get  rolled  under  the 
horses  and  make  themselves  generally  useful  to  the 
fighters  and  obnoxious  to  the  refinement  of  civil- 
ization. 

In  addition  to  these  there  are  other  men  who 
drag  out,  with  the  assistance  of  horses  and  mules, 
the  dead  bulls  and  the  horses  that  have  been  killed 
in  the  affray. 

The  bull  ring  is   about  seventy-five   feet    in 

281 


MEXICO    THE    WONDERFUL 

diameter,  the  ground  in  the  center  being  perfectly 
level.  Around  the  ring  is  a  tight  board  fence 
about  five  feet  high.  About  eighteen  inches  from 
the  ground  is  a  small  step,  probably  four  inches 
wide,  on  which  the  fighters  place  their  feet  and  leap 
over  the  fence  when  too  hotly  pursued  by  the  bull 
Between  this  fence  and  the  front  row  of  seats 
is  an  open  space  about  five  feet  wide  for  the  use 
of  the  fighters  and  helpers  between  times.  The 
whole  arena  is  surrounded  by  an  amphitheatre,  a 
complete  circle  of  seats  in  tiers,  with  a  capacity  of 
thousands.  The  front  row  of  seats,  fronting  on 
the  open  space,  is  about  eight  feet  from  the  ground 
and  beyond  the  reach  of  the  bull.  The  amphitheatre 
is  open  to  the  sky,  and  above  the  top  row  of  seats 
are  private  boxes  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  wish 
to  pay  the  highest  prices  and  have  the  poorest  place 
to  see  the  fight.  The  shady  side  of  the  amphi- 
theatre, of  course,  embraces  the  choicest  seats.  The 
sunny  side  is  fenced  off  by  a  barb  wire  fence  and 
seats  on  that  side  sell  cheaper  than  on  the  shady 
side. 

At  each  tournament,  which  commences  promptly 
every  Sunday  afternoon  at  3  o'clock,  there  are 
usually  six  bulls  slaughtered,  as  many  horses  as  is 
necessary,  and  occasionally  one  or  more  men.  On 

282 


BULL    FIGHTING 

the  Sunday  that  we  were  in  Mexico  in  one  ring 
in  the  city  there  were  six  bulls  and  fourteen  horses 
slaughtered. 

At  Durango,  a  few  miles  distant,  there  was  the 
same  number  of  bulls,  a  large  number  of  horses  and 
the  lives  of  four  men  or  human  brutes  were  sacri- 
ficed to  enliven  the  occasion.  I  think  that  the  fas- 
cination in  the  sport  of  the  contest  must  be  in  wish- 
ing that  the  bull  would  catch  some  of  the  fighters, 
as  the  audience  in  the  matter  of  demonstration  ap- 
pears to  be  on  the  side  of  the  bull,  who  scarcely  has 
a  fair  show  considering  the  fact  that  he  has  to  fight 
a  dozen  at  once,  and  whenever  they  are  too  hard 
pressed  the  fighters  can  get  over  the  ring  and  out, 
and  the  bull  cannot. 

If  I  were  to  make  the  rules  for  bull  fighting, 
I  would  change  them  so  that  when  the  fighter  was 
out  of  the  ring  he  would  be  counted  vanquished 
and  not  allowed  to  return,  and  if  the  bull  cleared 
the  ring,  I  would  let  the  bull  go  free.  But  the  rules 
are  not  made  that  way. 

At  3  o'clock  at  the  sound  of  the  bugle  the  Mata- 
dors, Picadors,  Cacheteros,  helpers,  etc.,  in  bright 
and  dazzling  uniforms,  enter  the  ring  and  it  makes 
a  very  brilliant  sight,  as  there  are  several  of  each 
grade  of  fighters.  In  the  meantime,  a  brass  band 

283 


MEXICO  THE  WONDERFUL 

(which  is  none  of  the  best)  is  making  the  air  wild 
with  discordant  melody. 

The  president  of  the  occasion,  who  sits  in  a  box 
high  up  amidst  a  display  of  red  drapery,  throws  to 
the  chief  matador  the  key  of  the  bull  pen,  and  the 
ihow  is  then  ready  to  commence. 

The  contest  with  each  bull,  of  which  there  are 
six,  as  already  mentioned,  progresses  by  regular 
stages  or  acts,  all  in  the  same  succession  with  each 
bull,  and  each  one  brutal  enough  to  satisfy  the  taste 
of  the  most  sanguine  devotee  of  brutality  and  lover 
of  blood. 

The  bull  is  loosened  from  the  stall  where  he  has 
been  kept  in  darkness,  and,  I  presume,  tortured  until 
he  is  practically  wild  when  he  dashes  into  the  ring. 
As  he  does  so  a  man  standing  at  the  door  of  the  ring 
has  a  rosette  of  fancy  colored  ribbons  with  a  barbed 
spike  in  the  center.  As  the  bull  passes  through  the 
door  he  drives  the  spike  at  least  two  inches  into  the 
bull's  shoulder.  The  color  of  the  ribbons  designates 
the  breeding  of  the  bull,  the  owner  of  the  herd,  etc., 
the  bulls  being  especially  bred  for  the  ring.  The 
spike  to  which  this  ribbon  is  attached  has  been  dipped 
in  sulphuric  acid  or  some  liquid  that  is  exceedingly 
hot  and  very  painful  to  the  bull,  and  by  the  time  he 

284 


BULL    FIGHTING 

rushes  to  the  center  of  the  ring  he  is  wild  with  pain 
and  ready  to  attack  anything  or  anybody. 

The  capedores  surround  him  with  their  cloaks, 
which  are  red  on  the  outside  and  lined  with  different 
colors,  which  they  flaunt  in  the  face  of  the  bull.  The 
bull  charges  first  one  and  then  the  other,  and  ordin- 
arily it  does  not  take  him  more  than  thirty  seconds 
to  entirely  clear  out  the  ring,  as  those  chaps  go  over 
the  board  fence  with  an  agility  that  would  beat  a 
deer  hound. 

After  a  few  minutes  have  been  spent  in  this  kind 
of  work  the  picadors  on  horseback  ride  into  the  cir- 
cle. These  are  dressed  in  yellow  suits,  with  broad- 
brimmed  hats  fastened  with  straps  under  their  jaws, 
and  it  is  very  necessary  that  the  hats  be  fastened  on, 
because  if  the  hat  was  not  fastened  on  the  head,  by 
the  time  the  bull  gets  through  with  one  of  his  mad 
charges,  it  would  be  very  difficult  to  find  it  in  the 
mix-up. 

The  horse  that  the  picador  rides  is  usually  a 
poor,  old,  worn-out  creature,  that  has  served  an  un- 
appreciative  master  all  too  well,  and  that  lacks 
both  life  and  action,  and  is  one  of  the  many  bought 
for  the  occasion.  The  picador  is  armed  with  a  pole 
about  eight  feet  long,  an  inch  and  a  quarter  in  diame- 
ter, made  of  a  strong  wood,  with  a  sharp  spike  ex- 

285 


MEXICO    THE    WONDERFUL 

tending  about  one  inch  beyond  the  end,  with  a  little 
tuft  of  ribbon  about  it  to  relieve  its  look  of  brutality. 

As  the  bull  sees  the  horse  it  makes  a  rush  at  him, 
for  it  is  one  of  the  misfortunes  of  the  bull  that  he 
lacks  intelligence  and  invariably  fights  the  horse  or 
the  capedore's  cloak  instead  of  fighting  the  man  on 
the  horse  or  the  man  who  is  holding  the  cloak.  It  is 
the  picador's  place  to  meet  the  bull  with  his  steel- 
pointed  pike,  but  he  is  not  usually  successful  in  this, 
and  the  consequence  is  the  horse  is  unmercifully 
gored  and  the  picador,  horse  and  all  go  down  in  dis- 
astrous defeat.  The  horse  is  blindfolded  so  he  can- 
not see  the  bull  as  it  makes  its  mad  charge.  The  pica- 
dor's trousers  are  lined  with  thick  sheet  iron,  which 
protects  the  limbs  when  the  horse  falls  on  them, 
which  is  almost  always  the  case,  and  he  has  to  be 
helped  up  from  under  his  horse  while  the  capedores 
divert  the  attention  of  the  bull. 

I  should  think  the  picadors  have  rather  a  pre- 
carious existence,  and  yet  it  appears  that  they  are  not 
injured  as  often  as  they  ought  to  be.  Almost  at 
every  onslaught  the  horse,  rider  and  all  are  thrown 
in  a  heap,  and  invariably  the  picador  has  to  be  re- 
leased by  his  fellows  before  he  can  rise  from  under 
his  horse. 

But  the  horse  suffers  the  onslaught  of  the  at- 

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BULL    FIGHTING 

tack.  After  the  bull  has  attacked  the  first  picador, 
and  his  attention  has  been  diverted  by  the  cloak 
bearers  or  capedores,  it  then  gives  its  attention  to  the 
next  horse  and  rider,  and  the  same  result  is  the  con- 
sequence. From  two  to,  four  horses  are  killed  in  this 
first  act,  which  continues  until  the  bugle  sounds  the 
call  for  the  next  change  of  scene.  While  all  the  so- 
called  sport  is  bad  enough,  the  killing  of  the  horses 
is  the  most  brutal  part  of  the  work,  and  a  full  de- 
scription of  this  part  of  a  bull  fight  could  scarcely  be 
given  in  language  that  would  be  acceptable  reading. 

The  horse  being  blindfolded  has  no  intimation  of 
the  attack  until  the  horns  of  the  bull  are  driven  ten 
or  twelve  inches  into  his  body,  and  is  totally  unpre- 
pared to  meet  or  escape  from  the  attack.  Sometimes 
the  bull  strikes  the  horse  full  in  the  breast  with  his 
sharp  horns,  throwing  him  high  in  the  air  and  pene- 
trating his  heart.  In  one  instance  as  the  bull  with- 
drew his  horns  the  blood  spurted  from  the  heart  of 
the  horse  in  a  stream  at  least  an  inch  in  diameter  and 
the  horse  fell  dead  within  ten  seconds  from  the  time 
it  was  struck. 

In  several  instances  the  horse  turned  as  the  bull 
made  his  charge  and  was  struck  by  the  horns  of  the 
maddened  animal  in  the  stomach  and  badly  mutila- 
ted, and  in  one  instance,  which  was  not  much  worse 

287 


MEXICO    THE    WONDERFUL 

than  several  of  the  others,  as  the  horse  retreated  its 
entrails  fell  from  its  stomach  and  the  staggering 
horse  trampled  on  them  with  his  hind  feet  as  he  tried 
to  run.  In  another  instance  as  the  bull  drew  back 
for  a  second  onslaught  the  entrails  became  entangled 
about  his  horns. 

When  the  rents  in  the  stomachs  of  the  horses 
were  not  so  bad  they  were  taken  back  into  the  stables 
and  the  holes  filled  with  sawdust,  the  wounds  sewed 
up  and  the  horses  were  brought  into  the  ring  in  the 
next  fight.  There  were  other  acts  in  this  part  of  the 
drama  even  worse  than  I  have  mentioned,  but  I  can- 
not describe  them. 

The  bugle  sounds,  and  the  next  act  in  the  drama 
comes.  This  is  the  placing  of  the  banderillas  in  the 
shoulder  of  the  now  frantic  brute. 

While  the  fighters  always  strike  the  bull  in  the 
shoulders  or  the  back,  there  can  be  one  thing  said  in 
their  favor,  that  is,  they  never  sneak  up  on  the  bull 
from  behind  to  do  the  work,  but  must  meet  him  face 
to  face  in  the  arena  and  take  the  consequences,  be 
they  what  they  may. 

The  banderillas  are  sticks  about  one  inch  in 
diameter,  eighteen  inches  long,  and  trimmed  very 
profusely  with  ribbons  or  finely  cut  tissue  paper  to 
correspond  with  the  color  of  the  suit  of  the  fighter 

288 


BULL  FIGHTING 

who  handles  them.  In  the  end  of  the  stick  is  a  prod, 
from  two  to  three  inches  long,  with  a  barb  on  the 
same  like  a  large  size  fishing  hook,  so  that  when  the 
banderilla  is  probed  into  the  shoulders  of  the  bull 
the  barb  will  prevent  it  from  being  shaken  out. 
These  barbs  have  been  dipped  into  acid  to  cause  pain. 
The  actors  who  do  this  part  of  the  fighting  are 
dressed  in  the  well  known  style  of  bull  fighters  which 
is  always  displayed  in  pictures  —  that  is,  high 
colored  knickerbocker  pants,  light  colored  stockings, 
low  cut  shoes,  bolero  jacket  and  a  peculiar  shaped 
regulation  hat. 

The  banderillero  steps  into  the  center  of  the  ring 
with  two  of  his  instruments  of  torture,  one  in  each 
hand.  He  advances  toward  the  bull  and  attracts  his 
attention  by  the  waving  of  these  gaudy  colored  in- 
struments before  his  face.  The  bull  makes  a  mad 
charge  at  Mm.  As  he  does  so  the  fighter  adroitly 
steps  to  one  side,  and  as  the  bull  passes  him  with  his 
head  down,  the  fighter  with  great  force  strikes  these 
two  prods  into  his  shoulders,  leaving  them  there. 
If  he  is  skillful  they  both  stick;  if  he  is  not  skillful 
he  will  sometimes  miss  one ;  if  he  misses  both  he  will 
likely  be  hissed  from  the  ring. 

This  act  is  repeated  by  four  different  men.  In 
the  meantime  the  bull  is  charging  backward  and  for- 

289 
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MEXICO  THE  WONDERFUL 

ward  across  the  ring  and  bellowing  so  that  he  can  be 
heard  even  beyond  the  walls  of  the  structure.  If  the 
work  is  skillfully  done  the  bull  will  be  burdened  with 
eight  of  these  sticks,  each  one  two  or  three  inches  into 
his  flesh,  the  weight  of  it  having  brought  it  from  the 
upright  position  where  it  was  stuck  to  a  hanging 
position,  the  barbs  tearing  his  flesh  and  the  points 
corrugating  his  shoulder  blades  at  every  step  that  he 
takes.  Thus  finishes  the  second  act. 

The  third  act  calls  into  action  the  skillful  work 
of  the  matador.  He  advances  to  the  center  of  the 
ring;  he  has  a  small  red  cloak  and  a  sword.  The 
blade  is  about  thirty  inches  long,  three-fourths  of  an 
inch  wide,  slightly  curved,  coming  to  a  sharp  point 
at  the  end.  He  is  the  most  skillful  of  all  and  is  the 
top-notch  fighter  of  the  gang.  He  has  very  little  re- 
gard for  his  own  life,  is  unknown  to  fear,  and  is  not 
troubled  with  the  pangs  of  delicacy  of  feeling  that 
bother  most  people  when  they  are  going  to  do  any- 
thing mean. 

With  his  small  red  cloak,  which  he  holds  in  his 
left  hand,  supported  by  the  sword  in  his  right  hand, 
he  attracts  the  attention  of  the  bull,  which  charges  at 
him  repeatedly.  It  is  wonderful  how  skillfully  and 
how  gracefully  he  can  side-step  a  foot  or  so  to  one 
side  or  the  other  and  let  the  bull  pass  by.  The  spec- 

290 


BULL  FIGHTING 

tator  thinks  time  and  time  again  that  he  has  missed 
his  calculation  this  time  and  that  the  bull  has  got 
him,  but  the  matador  comes  up  smiling  and  bows 
gracefully  to  the  applause  of  the  audience. 

After  he  has  played  with  the  bull  to  his  own 
satisfaction,  to  the  great  delight  of  the  thousands 
of  the  howling  mob  around  the  amphitheatre,  he  puts 
on  a  more  serious  look,  and  again  approaches  the 
bull,  which  finally  makes  a  rush  at  him,  and  if  the 
matador  is  skillful,  it  is  the  last  rush  that  the  bull 
ever  makes.  As  the  bull  passes  him  in  its  maddening 
onslaught  he  raises  the  sword  in  his  hand  and  strikes 
the  bull  between  the  shoulders  a  tremendous  thrust. 
The  tip  of  the  sword  cuts  through  the  body,  passes 
through  the  heart  and  comes  out  of  the  body  of  the 
animal  just  back  of  the  left  foreleg,  and  in  a  few 
seconds,  or  within  a  few  minutes,  the  bull  falls  to  the 
ground  practically  dead. 

But  for  fear  he  may  again  come  into  action,  the 
cachetero,  as  he  is  called,  takes  a  small  dirk  knife 
and  strikes  it  into  the  fallen  animal  at  the  vital  point 
just  back  of  the  horns  on  the  head,  which  causes  in- 
stantaneous death  or  removes  all  chance  of  the  bull 
recovering  from  any  false  thrust  that  may  have 
been  made  if  the  bull  be  alive. 

If  the  work  of  the  matador  was  always  well  and 

291 


MEXICO  THE  WONDERFUL 

skillfully  done  it  would  not  be  so  brutal ;  the  matador 
cannot  always  be  certain,  under  the  exciting  circum- 
stances, exactly  where  he  aims  and  some  very  shock- 
ing work  is  done  in  this  last  act.  It  frequently  occurs 
that  the  matador  strikes  in  the  wrong  place,  and  the 
sword  stops  on  the  shoulder  blade  or  other  bones  in 
the  animal's  body,  or  perhaps  runs  between  the  ribs 
or  is  bent  in  making  the  final  blow,  and  may  only 
penetrate  to  the  extent  of  eight,  ten  or  twelve  inches 
into  the  animal's  back;  in  that  case  the  yell  of  disap- 
proval of  the  audience.is  heartrending  to  the  matador. 

He  is  then  obliged  to  recover  the  sword  unless 
the  animal  shakes  the  same  out  in  his  mad  gyra- 
tions, and  he  must  try  the  same  act  over  again.  In 
one  instance  in  the  fight  to  which  I  refer,  the  sword 
lacked  some  eight  or  ten  inches  of  being  driven 
in  to  the  hilt,  and  as  the  bull  backed  against  the 
railing,  suffering  from  the  pain,  a  man  took  a 
shawl  which  he  twisted  up  to  use  as  a  club,  and 
struck  the  sword  on  the  handlle,  driving  it  in  to  the 
hilt. 

In  several  instances  the  fatal  plunge  was  a  fail- 
ure, and  the  bull  charged  about  the  ring  with  the 
sword  sticking  ten  or  twelve  inches  above  its  shoul- 
der and  penetrating  nearly  twice  that  far  into  its 
lungs  or  into  its  side.  In  another  instance  the  bull 

292 


BULL  FIGHTING 

was  so  worn  out  with  his  long  continued  torture 
that  he  lost  all  interest  in  the  contest  and  refused 
to  charge  the  matador. 

In  order  to  provoke  him  into  anger  the  matador 
stepped  up  in  front  of  him  and  bringing  down  the 
sharp  point  of  his  sword,  split  the  nose  of  the  bull 
to  the  bone  in  three  places,  the  blood  running  there- 
from was  licked  up  by  the  poor  brute  until  it  en- 
raged him  so  that  he  made  a  slight  attempt  to 
charge  on  the  matador,  when  he  was  slaughtered  as 
above  described.  This  ends  the  last  act  in  the  so- 
called  fighting  and  the  bugle  again  sounds. 

The  doors  of  the  ring  open,  three  white  mules, 
gaily  caparisoned  with  flags  and  ribbons,  are  driven 
hastily  into  the  ring.  A  chain  is  thrown  around 
the  bull's  hind  feet  and  he  is  dragged  dead  from 
the  ring  to  a  sort  of  butcher  shop  in  the  rear,  where 
he  is  regularly  dressed  as  he  would  be  at  an  or- 
dinary slaughter  house,  and  is  sold  for  beef. 

In  the  meantime,  probably  two  or  three  horses 
are  lying  dead  or  are  struggling  in  their  last  agony 
in  the  ring.  Men  on  ponies,  wearing  the  regular 
Mexican  sombreros,  gallop  hastily  into  the  ring, 
throw  their  lassos  down,  which  are  attached  to 
the  horses'  hind  feet,  and  gallop  with  first  one  dead 

293 


MEXICO   THE  WONDERFUL 

or  dying  horse  and  then  another  from  the  ring, 
until  the  ring  is  cleared. 

The  bugle  again  sounds.  Another  bull  is  sent 
into  the  ring  and  this  brutal  performance  is  repeated 
six  times  within  two  hours,  with  no  change  in  the 
order  of  progression,  the  only  variation  being  in  the 
minor  differences  in  the  degrees  of  brutality. 

At  the  end  of  this  particular  tournament,  the 
carcasses  of  six  bulls  hung  side  by  side  in  the 
meat  house  in  the  rear  of  the  amphitheatre,  and  the 
carcasses  of  fourteen  horses  lay  upon  the  ground, 
ready  to  be  carried  away,  and  hundreds  of  buzzards 
were  circling  around  awaiting  a  great  feast. 

There  is  much  pro  and  con  in  reference  to  bull 
fighting  in  Mexico.  It  has  been  prohibited  by  law 
time  and  again,  and  then  the  laws  repealed.  The 
best  class  of  Mexicans  do  not  favor  bull  fighting, 
all  reports  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding.  In 
fact,  in  the  audience  I  am  sure  that  the  best  class 
of  Mexicans  were  not  fully  represented,  and  Presi- 
dent Diaz  is  strongly  opposed  to  the  practice.  The 
Mexicans  claim  that  it  is  less  brutal  than  American 
prize  fighting  or  even  foot  ball  playing.  I  can 
hardly  agree  with  them,  although  prize  fighting 
is  bad  enough,  and  foot  ball  is  almost  as  bad  as 
prize  fighting. 

294 


BULL  FIGHTING 

The  Mexicans  say  it  would  cease  to  exist  and 
would  not  be  profitable  in  Mexico  if  it  was  not  for 
the  attendance  of  the  American  tourists.  On  this 
particular  Sunday  a  large  number  of  Americans  were 
present,  owing  to  the  excursion  being  in  the  city. 
Most  of  the  Americans  remained  only  until  one  or 
two  bulls  were  slaughtered.  Many  of  the  American 
women  attended  the  exhibition,  but  they  were  glad 
to  retire  soon  after  the  start  and  long  before  the 
finish.  Some  of  them  went  to  the  hotel  and  one  or 
two  of  them  were  sick  with  nervous  prostration  from 
what  they  had  seen  even  in  part  of  the  exhibition, 
and  an  artist  who  went  to  take  pictures  fainted  dur- 
ing the  first  of  the  fight,  and  left  the  ring. 

Think  of  the  people  of  Spain  celebrating  as  they 
did  recently  the  marriage  of  their  young  king  and 
queen  by  a  royal  bull  fight.  Such  a  celebration,  such 
a  government,  such  a  people  should  have  and  will 
have  heaped  upon  them,  the  contempt  of  man,  the 
curse  of  God,  and  are  sure  to  suffer  the  withering 
blight  of  sinful  rottenness. 


295 


The  Seventeenth  Letter* 


FLOWERS. 

In  Mexico  there  are  flowers,  flowers  everywhere. 
In  the  gardens,  on  the  house  tops,  in  the  markets,  on 
the  streets  and  every  place  you  go  there  is  some  one 
to  sell  or  perhaps  give  you  flowers. 

It  seems  that  every  flower  that  grows  can  be 
found  in  Mexico,  only  they  are  larger  and  much 
more  gorgeous  in  coloring  than  we  ever  see  them  in 
our  country,  and  the  prices  are  much  lower.  Imag- 
ine buying  a  dozen  roses,  of  a  variety  similar  to  the 
American  Beauty,  for  twelve  cents  "Mex,"  six  cents 
in  United  States  money;  a  bouquet  of  most  exquisite 
pansies  or  violets  as  large  as  one  can  hold  for  ten 
cents  American  money.  A  peep  into  some  of  the 
patios  of  the  private  residences  is  like  a  glimpse  of 
the  Garden  of  Eden,  with  the  fountain,  the  birds, 
trees  and  flowers  of  many  varieties. 

Among  the  flowers  can  usually  be  found  the  most 
beautiful  flowering  vine  that  I  have  ever  seen.  I 

296 


FLOWERS    OF    MEXICO 

have  forgotten  its  name,  but  it  is  usually  trained  over 
a  tree,  sometimes  as  high  as  fifty  feet,  and  so  numer- 
ous and  gorgeous  are  its  magenta  blossoms  that  the 
tree  itself  looks  like  one  big  bloom,  and  it  is  only  by 
close  inspection  that  you  see  the  nature  of  its  growth. 

The  Mexicans  arrange  their  flowers  in  bouquets 
and  sets  or  pieces  of  the  most  marvelous  floral  archi- 
tecture. At  many  of  the  stations  on  the  railway  are 
sold  bouquets  of  jessamines  arranged  in  large  pyra- 
mids. Each  flower  is  put  on  a  twig,  the  twigs  bound 
together  around  a  nice  smooth  stick,  which  serves  as 
a  handle,  some  are  arranged  on  palm  or  banana 
leaves  like  a  fan  with  the  same  style  of  stick  for  a 
handle. 

A  very  neat  arrangement  that  is  offered  for  sale 
at  the  stations  is  the  stock  of  a  banana  tree  or  some- 
thing of  that  nature.  It  is  cut  about  a  foot  long,  and 
the  pulp  center  is  hollowed  out ;  then  it  is  filled  with 
jessamines.  The  ends  are  closed  and  wrapped  with 
fibre  and  a  handle  is  made  of  the  same  material,  and 
there  is  a  little  trap  door  in  the  side  with  fibre  hinges 
giving  an  opportunity  to  take  the  blossoms  out  one  at 
a  time.  The  moist,  dark  interior  preserves  the  flowers 
a  long  time  and  when  carried  the  tube  looks  about 
like  a  roll  of  music,  in  the  usual  covers. 

But  the  funeral  pieces  which  are  found  in  the 

297 


MEXICO  THE  WONDERFUL 

flower  markets  are  truly  remarkable.  There  is  every 
kind  of  figure,  but  the  most  common  is  the  wreath; 
but  its  size!  Think  of  wreaths  four  or  five  feet  in 
diameter.  They  are  not  made  on  wire  frames,  but 
have  a  solid  foundation,  stuffed  with  straw,  held  in 
shape  by  coarse  netting,  into  which  are  thrust  the 
smaller  flowers,  then  on  one  side  is  tied  with  bright 
colored  ribbons  an  immense  bunch  of  some  large 
flowers,  such  as  calla  lilies  or  something  of  that  na- 
ture. Such  pieces  certainly  denote  extreme  devotion. 
Throughout  the  country  a  great  many  beautiful 
flowers  grow  wild,  calla  lilies,  most  gorgeous  poppies 
and  flowers  of  every  size  and  hue,  until  one  might 
think  the  whole  country  one  great  flower  garden;  or 
that  the  country  was  in  preparation  for  a  great 
national  flower  show. 

MUSIC    OF    MEXICO. 

In  connection  with  flowers  we  think  of  music, 
and  the  Mexicans  are  just  as  fond  of  music  as  of 
flowers.  Where  there  is  one  there  is  the  other,  which 
is  to  say  music  and  flowers  are  everywhere  in  Mexico. 
Every  city,  no  matter  how  small,  has  at  least  one 
plaza  which  has  a  band  stand  and  there  on  certain 
nights  the  band  plays  and  all  gather  to  listen. 

In  the  larger  cities  are  many  plazas  and  one  can 

298 


MUSIC    OP    MEXICO 

nearly  always  find  in  some  one  of  them  a  concert  go- 
ing on.  The  Mexicans  seem  to  be  natural  musicians, 
for  almost  every  little  hut  contains  some  musical  in- 
strument, usually  a  guitar,  and  in  the  evening  the 
young  man  takes  his  guitar  and  goes  out  on  the  street, 
playing  and  singing  softly  to  himself.  We  presume 
that  he  does  not  always  thus  sing  for  his  own  amuse- 
ment, but  perhaps  later  finds  his  way  to  the 
window  of  some  fair  senorita,  where  he  can  tell  his 
love  in  song.  It  is  said  there  are  many  truly  phe- 
nomenal voices  among  the  lower  classes,  that  with- 
out knowing  the  first  principles  of  music,  they  will 
sing  in  perfect  harmony  selections  from  difficult 
operas. 

Most  of  the  music  is  of  the  Spanish  style,  Carmen 
being  one  of  their  favorite  operas.  Much  of  their 
music  is  of  a  sad,  melancholy  nature ;  even  the  dances 
are  slow  and  dreamy.  La  Golondrina  is  the  Mexican 
"Home,  Sweet  Home,"  but  the  prime  favorite  is 
"La  Paloma,"  which  is  played  at  almost  every  con- 
cert. I  shall  never  forget  one  night  in  the  hotel  at 
Cuernavaca  the  orchestra  played  La  Paloma,  singing 
certain  parts.  The  effect  was  most  beautiful.  Every- 
one stopped  talking  and  there  was  perfect  silence, 
and  when  the  last  strain  died  away,  they  were 
encored  again  and  again. 

299 


LA  PALO  MA 


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300 


MUSIC   OF   MEXICO 
THE  DOVE. 

I. 
L,et  her  be  watching  there  at  the  window, 

For  me  as  my  Dove. 
Treat  her  with  tender  caresses, 

As  my  very  self. 
Tell  her  gently  my  love  for  her, 

Dear  as  my  life  to  me. 
Ah,  dearest  one,  if  ah  it  must  be, 

Give  me  thy  truest  love. 
Ah,  if  thou  wouldst  come  with  me, 

Where'er  I  may  rove! 
Ah,  dearest  one,  if  ah  it  must  be, 

Yet  give  me  thy  love. 
Yes,  if  thou  wouldst  come  with  me,  dear, 

Where'er  I  may  rove! 
II. 
In  the  day  that  we  are  married, 

May  God  prosper  our  way! 
In  the  week  coming  after,  may  it 

Make  us  to  rejoice! 
From  the  church  joined  together, 

Exulting  we  stray. 
We  shall  rest,  yes,  fondly  forever, 

Fulfilling  our  choice! 
Refrain — Let  her  be  watching,  etc. 

III. 

As  swift  time  shall  elude  us, 

May  God  prosper  our  life, 
From  the  day  we  are  wedded 

There  ceaseth  all  strife! 
Still  with  fervor  in  pleasures 

We  shall  peacefully  dwell, 
As  fair  maids  with  their  treasures. 

Esteeming  them  well! 
Refrain — Let  her  be  watching,  etc. 

301 


MEXICO    THE    WONDEEFUL 

La  Paloma  is  charming;  it  is  one  of  the 
songs  that  will  never  die.  Presented  herewith  is  the 
air  from  a  score  that  fell  into  my  hands;  the  music 
was  copied  by  Mrs.  Bees,  and  by  the  process  of  etch- 
ing it,  is  presented  to  the  reader,  who  will  certainly 
agree  that  it  is  a  very  pleasing  melody.  The  words 
were  translated  from  the  Spanish  by  my  friend,  the 
Rev.  J.  E.  Rogers,  of  Springfield,  who  performed  the 
difficult  task  of  preserving  both  the  beauty  and 
poetry  of  the  words  in  the  translation. 

Speaking  of  music  in  this  country,  I  am  re- 
minded of  the  reception  of  the  Georgia  Press  Asso- 
ciation here  several  years  ago.  The  Georgia  editors, 
on  one  of  their  junkets,  visited  Mexico,  and  were 
greeted  by  the  magnificent  National  Band,  who 
played  for  their  edification  that  soul  stirring  piece, 
"Marching  Through  Georgia."  The  musicians  were 
much  disappointed  at  not  receiving  a  particle  of 
applause.  A  short  time  thereafter  the  same  band 
played  "Dixie"  and  received  such  an  encore  that 
they  asked  an  explanation.  The  president  of  the 
association  told  them  that  "Marching  Through 
Georgia"  was  all  right  for  music,  but  it  was  rather 
a  painful  subject  to  Georgia  people,  as  it  was  a  war 
song,  and  it  was  the  "other  fellows"  who  did  the 
marching  and  who  also  wrote  the  song. 

302 


SHOPPING    IN    MEXICO 

STORES  AND  DRESS  IN   MEXICO. 

It  seems  there  are  several  distinct  shopping  dis- 
tricts in  Mexico  City;  first  those  stores  located  near 
the  Iturbide  hotel  on  San  Francisco  and  neighbor- 
ing cross  streets,  which  are  patronized  almost  en- 
tirely by  tourists. 

These  are  curio  stores  and  deal  in  Mexican 
drawn  and  leather  work,  baskets,  serapes,  opals,  tur- 
quoise, spoons,  postal  cards,  and  souvenirs  of  every 
kind.  Some  of  these  shops  keep  antique  jewelry, 
but  this  class  of  goods  has  been  pretty  well  picked 
up  and  the  assortment  left  is  small,  and  doubtless 
gathered  from  all  parts  of  the  earth. 

But  one  can  get  the  most  beautiful  antique  fur- 
niture, also  old  church  furniture,  ornamented  with 
the  most  exquisite  carving,  which  could  be  easily 
converted  into  charming  fireplaces,  sideboards,  etc 
One  piece  which  we  admired  and  which  would  make 
a  most  magnificent  mantel,  the  salesman  informed 
us  would  not  be  sold  for  a  cent  less  than  ten  thou- 
sand dollars. 

Maximilian  souvenirs  are  always  in  demand  and 
a  few  are  still  on  sale.  We  were  offered  a  neat 
china  cup  and  saucer  with  the  emperor's  monogram, 
and  were  assured  that  it  was  genuine,  for  thirty- 
five  dollars. 

303 


MEXICO    THE   WONDERFUL 

These  curio  dealers  seem  to  be  the  only  mer- 
chants who  deal  in  drawn  work  in  Mexico  City. 
From  the  prices  asked,  any  one  might  know  that 
they  had  a  monopoly  of  the  trade. 

Near  the  Plaza  Mayor  are  situated  the  most 
pretentious  jewelry  and  dry  goods  stores.  "The 
Esmeralda,"  a  most  beautiful  jewelry  establishment, 
and  often  called  the  Tiffany  store  of  Mexico  City, 
contains  most  gorgeous  jewels,  silver  and  art  works 
of  every  description.  A  friend  of  ours  saw  there  a 
nice  pearl  necklace  that  he  thought  of  taking  home 
with  him.  But  he  changed  his  mind  when  he  found 
the  price  was  twenty-five  thousand  dollars. 

By  the  way,  every  shop,  no  matter  what  it  may 
deal  in,  whether  dry  goods,  jewelry,  bakery  goods 
or  liquors,  has  a  fanciful  name  placed  over  the  door. 
The  dry  goods  stores  of  the  better  class  display 
some  of  the  most  gorgeous  materials,  exquisite 
Parisian  costumes,  the  latest  Parisian  novelties,  in 
fact  almost  everything  is  from  France,  in  most  ex- 
cellent styles  and  of  the  best  material. 

Sunday  afternoon  while  on  the  Chapultepec 
drive,  one  has  a  very  good  opportunity  to  study  the 
dress  of  the  Mexicans.  They  certainly  make  a 
beautiful  picture  as  they  ride  in  their  luxurious  car- 

304 


1'lioto  by  Thomas  Rees. 

THIRD    CLASS     FUNERAL. 

"The  third  class  are  open  platform  cars,  the  coffin  resting  in 
the  centre  and   usually  without   mourners." — Page  314. 


SHOPPING    IN    MEXICO 

riages,  clothed  in  silks  and  laces  of  the  finest  quality 
and  of  most  dainty  colorings. 

Lastly,  there  are  the  shops  for  the  poor  people 
scattered  all  over  the  city.  They  deal  in  every- 
thing that  is  of  use  to  the  people  of  the  lower  classes. 
The  women  of  the  lower  class  are  very  poorly  dressed 
and  every  female,  whether  five  or  fifty  years  of  age, 
is  dressed  almost  exactly  like  every  other  female  of 
her  class,  each  one  wearing  a  long  scant  skirt,  gen- 
erally of  wool,  reaching  to  the  feet,  overtopped  by 
a  sort  of  cotton  dressing-sack,  sometimes  tucked 
under  the  band,  but  often  left  loose. 

All  wear  either  blue  or  black  cotton  rebosas,  a 
sort  of  scarf  shawl,  draped  over  the  head  or  wrapped 
around  the  shoulders,  and  it  seems  that  almost  every 
woman  and  girl  of  any  size  has  a  baby  tightly 
wrapped  in  her  rebosa,  usually  in  the  middle  of  the 
back.  The  majority  of  the  women  go  barefooted, 
even  sandals  are  seldom  worn,  but  the  men  usually 
wear  sandals  and  many  possess  shoes. 


305 

-20 


The  Eighteenth  Letter* 


REVELLING    IN    DEATH. 

"We  meet  'neath  the  sounding  rafter 

And  the  walls  around  are  bare, 
As  they  shout  back  our  peals  of  laughter, 

It  seems  that  the  dead  are  there; 
Then  stand  to  your  glasses  steady,; 

We  drink  to  our  comrade's  eyes, 
One  cup  to  the  dead  already — 

Hurrah  for  the  next  that  dies!" 

The  above  lines  are  from  a  poem  that  might  be 
called  a  masterpiece  in  English,  which  was  written 
by  one  Bartholomew  Dowling,  a  newspaper  man  of 
San  Francisco,  many  years  ago  and  applied  to  one  of 
the  great  famines  and  plagues  of  India  that  carried 
away  many  people. 

They  were  forcibly  brought  to  my  mind  during 
the  time  I  spent  in  Mexico  City.  This  poem  might 
be  adopted  by  Mexico  as  an  appropriate  sentiment 
for  all  occasions.  Human  life  has  been  a  wonder- 
fully plentiful  and  inexpensive  article  among  the 
people  of  this  country. 

306 


REVELLING   IN   DEATH 

Its  history  is  so  mingled  with  sacrifices  of  human 
life;  its  places  of  interest  are  so  intimately  associa- 
ted with  tragedies;  its  museums  are  so  filled  with 
skeletons;  its  cities  have  so  many  statues  of  states- 
men who  have  been  executed;  its  galleries  have  so 
many  pictures  depicting  scenes  of  death;  its  ceme- 
teries are  so  much  in  evidence;  its  churches  are  so 
crowded  with  tombs;  its  death  rate  is  so  high  and 
its  funerals  are  so  numerous  that  you  are  continually 
reminded  of  the  fact  while  here  that  you  are  walking 
through  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death. 

The  Aztecs  practiced  the  sacrifice  of  human 
beings  to  an  extent  that  was  appalling.  Prescott  in 
his  "Conquest  of  Mexico"  says  that  the  yearly  esti- 
mate of  human  sacrifices  was  from  twenty  to  thirty 
thousand  persons  each  year  in  ordinary  times,  while 
it  was  greater  at  some  times,  and  at  the  dedication 
of  the  great  temple  of  Tenochtitlan  seventy  thou- 
sand persons  were  sacrificed  on  the  one  occasion. 

They  usually  preserved  the  skulls  of  the  victims 
of  these  sacrifices  in  buildings  erected  for  that  pur- 
pose. And  Cortez'  soldiers  found  in  one,  alone,  of 
these  edifices,  one  hundred  and  thirty-six  thousand 
skulls.  All  classes,  even  infants,  were  sacrificed 
and  all  prisoners  of  war  were  so  disposed  of. 

Cortez  came  with  the  sword  and  one  of  his  first 

307 


MEXICO    THE    WONDERFUL 

acts  was  to  massacre  the  Cholulans  to  the  extent  of 
three  thousand  to  six  thousand.  He  left  a  path  of 
death  wherever  he  marched,  fighting  battles  where 
the  slain  were  numbered  by  thousands,  and  when  he 
entered  Mexico  City  after  his  great  siege,  it  is  said, 
that  the  corpses  were  so  thick  in  the  streets  that 
one  could  not  go  through  the  streets  of  the  city  with- 
out treading  on  the  bodies  of  the  dead,  whose  num- 
ber history  places  at  one  hundred  and  twenty  to  two 
hundred  and  forty  thousand. 

A  further  account  says :  ' '  Bodies  were  piled  one 
upon  another,  the  living  mingled  with  the  dead. 
Death  was  everywhere.  The  city  was  a  vast  charnel 
house  in  which  all  were  hastening  to  decay  and  de- 
composition, and  it  bred  a  pestilence  that  swept  off 
greater  numbers  than  the  famine. 

Continuing  the  fight,  the  besieged  were  hemmed 
in  like  deers  surrounded  by  the  huntsmen  and  slain. 
The  ground  was  heaped  up  with  dead,  until  the  com- 
batants were  obliged  to  climb  over  human  mounds  to 
get  at  one  another.  The  miry  soil  was  saturated  with 
blood  which  ran  off  like  water  and  dyed  the  canals 
crimson. 

Forty  thousand  human  beings  were  slain  in  a 
few  hours.  In  another  engagement  the  dead  bodies 
were  thrown  into  the  canal  until  they  formed  a 

308 


REVELLING   IN   DEATH 

bridge  over  which  the  assailants  passed  to  the  oppo- 
site banks  to  continue  their  work  of  slaughter." 

As  soon  as  the  Spanish  were  well  in  possession  of 
this  country,  the  deadly  inquisition  was  inaugurated 
and  put  in  operation,  and  for  over  two  hundred  years 
that  murderous  piece  of  legal  religious  machinery 
put  many  to  death  by  burning  at  the  stake,  by  tor- 
ture and  other  cruel  means. 

In  the  National  Museum  is  shown  a  garrote 
which  broke  the  victims'  necks  by  twisting  an  iron 
pin  into  them,  and  other  equally  effective  machines 
were  used. 

Now,  if  you  will  add  to  the  above  an  indefinite 
estimate  of  how  many  have  been  killed  in  the  several 
wars,  in  insurrections  and  riots  and  in  the  enforce- 
ment of  law,  you  have  a  great  harvest  of  death. 

Then  make  another  addition  to  your  estimate  if 
you  can,  of  the  deaths  from  disease  and  epidemics, 
including  the  great  plague  of  1737,  when  it  is  said 
that  two-thirds  of  all  the  people  of  New  Spain,  as 
Mexico  was  then  called,  were  carried  away  in  one 
season.  Add  all  of  these  together  and  then  contem- 
plate an  annual  death  rate  exceeding,  perhaps,  that 
of  any  other  similar  city  in  the  world,  and  which  goes 
on  year  after  year  and  generation  after  generation, 
and  you  can  readily  understand  that  one  is  im- 

309 


MEXICO   THE   WONDERFUL 

pressed  with  the  small  value  placed  upon  life  here 
and  you  will  likely  conclude  that  all  the  time  you  re- 
main here  you  are  certainly  taking  some  chances  and 
are  to  some  extent  coquetting  with  death. 

The  death  rate  in  the  ten  largest  cities  of  the 
United  States  averages  a  trifle  over  nineteen  per 
thousand  population,  and  New  Orleans  with  its  large 
colored  population  and  unhealthy  surroundings,  and 
which  leads,  in  the  race  of  death,  all  American  cities, 
has  a  death  rate  of  only  twenty-eight  per  one 
thousand  of  its  population,  while  Mexico  City  has  an 
annual  death  rate  of  between  fifty  and  sixty  and 
sometimes  even  exceeding  the  latter  figure,  the  total 
deaths  running  from  twenty  to  thirty  thousand 
each  year.  At  fifty-five  deaths  per  one  thousand, 
it  would  make  the  average  duration  of  a  human  life 
in  this  city  a  trifle  over  eighteen  years. 

The  infant  mortality  in  a  measure  accounts  for 
this  high  death  rate  as  there  are  many  children  that 
have  very  poor  care.  But  the  fact  remains  that  this 
is  a  very  unhealthy  city,  and  that  it  is  well  to  be  ex- 
ceedingly careful  of  your  living  while  here. 

One  reason  for  this  excessive  rate  of  mortality  is 
the  unfortunate  topographical  location  of  the  city. 
But  a  considerable  number  of  the  deaths  are  due  to 
the  lack  of  observance  of  proper  sanitary  precautions 

310 


REVELLING   IN   DEATH 

and  the  carelessness  of  the  people  in  regard  to  the 
prevention  of  diseases. 

Small  pox  appears  to  be  a  regular  thing.  It 
came  with  the  Conquest,  one  negro  slave  being 
brought  here  suffering  with  the  disease,  which 
spread  rapidly  over  the  country,  carrying  off  thou- 
sands at  that  time. 

I  do  not  think  the  authorities  take  very  great 
care  to  isolate  the  victims,  nor  do  the  people  make 
any  great  effort  to  keep  away  from  the  disease,  nor 
to  keep  the  disease  away  from  them. 

As  one  of  the  Mexicans  said,  "The  Lord  sends 
small  pox  and  if  you  try  to  fight  it  off  you  will  have 
it  that  much  worse.  The  only  thing  that  you  need 
to  do  is  to  get  two  potted  plants,  that  is  flowers  in 
pots,  and  put  the  patient's  feet  into  the  pots  well 
covered  with  the  soil.  Keep  them  well  watered  and 
that  will  draw  all  the  fever  from  the  head  into  the 
feet  and  the  disease  will  soon  be  gone,  and  the 
patient  will  get  well." 

This  is  a  treatment  for  small  pox  that  I  respect- 
fully refer  to  the  various  boards  of  health  of  the 
states  and  cities  of  the  north  for  adoption. 

Typhus  fever  epidemics  are  common  in  the  city 
of  Mexico,  and  there  was  quite  a  siege  of  this  while 
we  were  in  the  city.  There  were  from  sixty  to  sev- 

311 


MEXICO   THE   WONDERFUL 

enty-five  new  cases  reported  every  day,  which  re- 
sulted in  a  number  of  deaths. 

This  made  our  stay  in  the  city  less  comfortable 
than  it  otherwise  might  have  been.  We  were 
cautioned  not  to  drink  the  city  water,  nor  to  eat 
uncooked  vegetables,  which  we  didn't  want  to  do 
after  seeing  them  transported  and  washed  in  the  La 
Viga  canal,  and  if  possible  not  to  run  into  con- 
tagion. 

As  we  were  cautioned  not  to  eat  or  drink  so 
many  things,  and  the  meats  here  are  of  such  poor 
quality,  Mexico  City  was  one  of  the  places  where  we 
felt  that  we  suffered  for  something  to  eat. 

It  is  rather  awkward  to  die  so  far  away  from 
home,  and  especially  in  Mexico,  where  they  bury 
people  quickly  and  where  they  take  little  chances  on 
traveling  corpses,  and  where  it  is  difficult  to  claim 
and  remove  your  own  or  anybody  else's  remains. 
So  we  ate  as  little  as  we  could  in  the  city,  and  made 
our  visit  as  short  as  we  could  and  see  very  much  of 
the  place. 

The  last  day  we  were  in  the  city  we  visited 
Dolores  cemetery,  which  lies  in  the  mountains  just 
beyond  Chapultepec  castle.  I  thought  that  it  was 
extremely  unfortunate  that  the  city  should  have  been 
located  in  the  valley  and  the  cemetery  pitched  on  the 

312 


REVELLING    IN    DEATH 

mountain  top,  in  a  direct  line  from  where  the  water 
supply  seems  to  come.  An  arrangement  exactly  the 
reverse  would  have  been  better  and  even  that  would 
have  been  bad  enough,  for  there  is  plenty  of  high 
ground  in  the  vicinity  for  both  the  city  and  ceme- 
tery. 

The  funeral  business  of  the  City  of  Mexico  is 
peculiar.  Everything  here  is  divided  into  classes, 
usually  "first  class,"  "second  class"  and  "third 
class. ' '  It  seems  that  in  the  matter  of  funerals,  this 
is  extended  to  four  classes,  and  that  the  cemetery  is 
divided  into  six  classes  of  burial  places. 

When  the  street  car  system  was  put  into  opera- 
tion several  years  ago,  the  company  bought  up  all 
the  hearses  in  the  city  and  put  them  out  of  com- 
mission. Since  then  all  the  funerals  are  by  the  street 
car  lines  in  special  cars  run  for  that  purpose. 

The  first  class  cars  are  finished  and  draped  as 
elaborately  as  an  expensive  hearse,  and  with  them 
go  trailer  cars  that  are  elegantly  appointed  and 
draped  appropriately,  in  which  the  friends  follow 
the  remains  to  the  grave. 

The  second  class  cars  are  not  so  elaborate,  the 
sides  are  open  and  the  casket,  resting  on  a  raised 
platform  in  the  center  of  the  car,  is  visible,  and 

313 


MEXICO    THE    WONDERFUL 

ordinary  cars  go  with  the  funeral  car  for  the  con- 
venience of  friends. 

The  third  class  are  open  platform  cars,  with 
canopy  top,  the  coffin  resting  in  the  center  of  the 
platform,  and  they  go  usually  without  trailers  or 
mourners. 

The  next,  or  fourth  class  cars,  are  like  small 
railway  box  cars,  a  dozen  or  more  doors  opening  on 
the  sides  into  as  many  crypts  into  which  the  coffins 
are  deposited  for  conveyance,  and  two  or  more  of 
these  cars  are  attached  to  and  drawn  by  a  trolley 
car. 

The  coffins  of  the  children  of  the  poorer  class 
are  usually  painted  a  bright  blue.  The  larger  coffins 
are  painted  black,  although  there  are  some  of  fancy 
colors,  while  the  expensive  caskets  are  covered 
ordinarily  with  black  or  white  cloth. 

The  cemetery  is  a  considerable  tract  of  ground 
surrounded  by  a  high  white  wall,  and  seems  to  be 
crowded  to  its  limit.  It  has  some  good  buildings  for 
the  administrative  offices  and  chapels  for  services. 

In  the  first  class  section  and  on  the  highest 
ground  are  some  very  expensive  and  elaborate 
tombs,  mausoleums  and  monuments,  and  the  little 
avenues  and  parks  are  well  attended  to  by  a  number 
of  workmen. 

314 


REVELLING    IN    DEATH 

The  second  class  section  of  the  cemetery  has 
not  so  many  nor  so  elaborate  monuments,  and  as  you 
go  down  through  the  third,  fourth,  fifth  to  the  sixth 
class  section,  the  only  marks  are  small  numbered  tin 
crosses,  that  are  neither  ornamented  nor  durable, 
and  many  of  which  are  bent,  broken  and  scattered 
about  the  ground. 

It  is  sort  of  sad  to  contemplate  that  the  class 
distinction  stays  with  these  poor  people  here  all  of 
their  lives  and  even  follows  them  after  death. 

The  day  we  went  to  the  cemetery  there  were  a 
number  of  funerals,  as  is  usual  each  afternoon. 

The  first  car  to  arrive  was  Number  13  with  two 
trailers,  their  crypts  filled  with  coffins.  The  car 
went  into  the  lower  gates  and  the  workmen  began 
to  relieve  it  of  its  cargo.  Four  men  carried  a  large 
coffin  away  on  their  shoulders  to  the  place  of  burial. 
Then  one  man  carried  a  smaller  coffin  on  his  shoulder 
the  same  direction,  and  another  took  a  small  blue 
one  in  his  arms. 

By  this  tune  a  car  came  filled  with  people,  evi- 
dently friends  or  relatives  of  some  of  the  deceased. 
Several  coffins  were  placed  in  carts,  and  a  very 
small  blue  coffin  was  handed  out  to  a  young  woman, 
who  took  it  in  her  arms  and  held  it  for  some  time, 


315 


MEXICO    THE   WONDERFUL 

shifting  it  from  one  side  to  the  other,  while  con- 
versing with  her  friends. 

By  this  time  other  cars  with  other  coffins  had 
arrived,  some  stopping  at  this  gate  and  others  pass- 
ing to  the  more  fashionable  entrance,  further  up, 
where  a  priest  waited  to  perform  burial  services. 

After  looking  over  the  cemetery  we  took  the 
car  to  return  to  the  city.  For  about  a  mile  there  is 
a  single  track,  so  that  cars  going  to  the  cemetery 
must  wait  until  the  track  is  free  from  returning  cars 
before  they  can  proceed.  When  we  had  reached 
the  switch  there  were  many  funeral  cars  waiting  for 
right  of  way.  It  was  a  long,  sad-looking  train,  made 
up  of  funerals  of  all  classes,  the  caskets  lying  under 
their  canopies  and  decorated  with  floral  pieces  of 
great  size  and  variety.  The  cars  carrying  the 
mourners  were  also  crowded  with  such  floral  pieces. 

As  we  went  on  toward  the  center  of  the  city, 
we  met  many  more  cars  carrying  their  sombre 
burdens  and  excessive  flower  pieces  in  the  same 
direction.  It  looked  as  though  all  of  the  deaths  of 
a  month  had  occurred  at  once,  and  that  the  funerals 
had  all  taken  place  at  one  time,  and  yet  this  was 
but  one  day  like  all  the  rest  of  the  other  days  in 
every  year. 

We  were  glad  to  be  away  from  this  line  of  cars 

316 


REVELLING    IN    DEATH 

and  back  into  the  livelier  scenes  of  the  city,  where 
death  seemed  more  remote  and  where  the  busy 
activities  of  life  lifted  in  a  measure  the  pall  of  death 
that  surrounds  the  road  to  Dolores.  But,  after  all, 
life  is  but  a  vapor  at  the  best,  and  as  Dowling  fur- 
ther said: 

"Who  dreads  to  the  dust  returning? 

Who  shrinks  from  the  sable  shore, 
Where  the  high  and  haughty  yearning 

Of  the  soul  can  sting  no  more? 
So,  stand  to  your  glasses  steady — 

The  thoughtless  are  here  the  wise; 
One  cup  to  the  dead  already — 

Hurrah  for  the  next  that  dies!" 


317 


The  Nineteenth  Letter* 

SCRAPS. 

In  writing  a  series  of  letters  such  as  these,  there 
is  an  accumulation  of  stuff  presented  that  does  not 
just  fit  in  any  particular  place,  and  yet  seems  to  be 
of  too  much  interest  to  be  entirely  omitted,  so  I 
have  concluded  to  just  call  it  "scraps"  and  throw 
it  in  here. 

In  the  western  part  of  Mexico  is  a  beautiful 
river  called  the  Juanacatlan.  It  is  the  largest  river 
in  this  country.  It  has  a  fair  size  Niagara  Falls, 
with  a  tumble  of  seventy  feet  as  it  drops  over  the 
precipice.  It  is  a  beautiful  sight. 

The  government  taxes  are  collected  largely  lay 
the  sale  and  use  of  stamps,  as  is  the  custom  in  the 
United  States  during  war  times.  All  bills  and  in- 
voices have  to  carry  a  stamp,  and  a  stamp  must  be 
affixed  to  each  page  of  a  hotel  register,  etc.,  so  the 
average  man  who  does  much  business  must  become 
quite  an  expert  in  the  licking  of  stamps. 

318 


SCRAPS 

There  is  a  great  industry  in  silver  in  Mexico, 
large  shipments  through  the  country  and  from  the 
country.  There  was  nine  minion  seven  hundred 
sixteen  thousand  dollars  in  silver  shipped  from  Vera 
Cruz  in  the  first  two  months  of  this  year.  At  a 
junction  near  Puebla  I  saw  the  transfer  of  one  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars  in  silver  from  one  train  to 
another.  It  was  in  one  hundred  bags,  each  holding 
one  thousand  dollars.  They  were  laid  upon  four 
express  trucks,  such  as  are  seen  around  any  ordinary 
railroad  depot.  I  sized  it  up  and  concluded  that  if 
it  was  on  one  pile  it  would  have  measured  about  five 
feet  long,  two  feet  wide  and  nearly  two  feet  high, 
and  would  weigh  about  six  thousand  pounds. 

Guanajuato  is  a  large  city  with  a  small  ceme- 
tery. Graves  and  crypts  therein  are  rented  for  five 
years.  If  nobody  pays  a  second  rental  at  the  end 
of  five  years,  the  corpse  is  evicted  to  make  room  for 
another.  The  corpses  are  usually  petrified  when 
they  come  out  of  the  tomb,  and  the  pictures  of  these 
mummies  are  what  are  always  shown  in  the  books 
on  Mexico.  They  were  formerly  displayed  in  their 
nakedness  as  they  stood  side  by  side  in  a  long  cor- 
ridor. They  were  so  hideous  that  they  now  wrap 
them  up  in  white  winding  sheets,  which,  while  it  is 


319 


MEXICO  THE  WONDERFUL 

more  decent,  rather  adds  to  the  weirdness  of  the 
grim  view. 

The  Mexicans  are  persistent  beggars  and  in- 
veterate peddlers.  There  is  scarcely  a  thing  that 
you  cannot  buy  through  a  car  window  at  any  sta- 
tion. There  are  lots  of  people  with  articles  for  sale, 
and  men,  women  and  children  sell  lottery  tickets 
every  place  at  all  times.  Lottery  ticket  venders  are 
more  numerous  in  Mexico  than  newsboys  and  boot- 
blacks in  the  United  States.  It  is  a  very  common 
sight  at  stations  or  in  city  streets  to  see  people  with 
ice  cream  freezers  on  their  heads  and  with  dishes 
and  spoons  in  their  hands  selling  coolness  by  the 
dish.  Stoddard,  the  lecturer,  says  that  peddlers 
even  sell  coffins,  but  I  had  none  offered  to  me,  and  I 
think  the  worthy  lecturer  got  his  impression  by 
seeing  the  regular  carriers  delivering  coffins  on  their 
backs  to  customers,  which  is  frequently  done. 

The  Mexican  man  is  a  picturesque  individual 
when  he  is  dressed  even  in  ordinary  clothes,  but 
when  he  aspires  to  be  a  dude  he  is  irresistible.  He 
wears  a  sombrero  of  such  size  and  weight  and  so 
ornamented  with  silver  it  would  seem  to  be  a  great 
burden  to  the  wearer.  Add  to  this  a  close  fitting 
jacket,  a  pair  of  trousers  so  tight  that  the  legs  of 
the  trousers  have  to  be  opened  up  to  get  the 

320 


SCRAPS 

wearer's  leg  in  and  then  fastened  up  with  hooks  and 
eyes,  and  which  have  a  flare  at  the  bottom  that 
covers  a  good  part  of  the  shoes  and  is  ornamented 
in  the  gore  with  rich  embroidery,  then  a  red  sash 
around  the  waist  and  big  spurs  of  elaborate  design 
clanking  at  his  heels,  and  a  bright  colored  serape 
or  shawl  carelessly  thrown  over  his  shoulders,  he 
makes  a  very  ornamental  figure.  The  most  elaborate 
mimic  character  in  Mexican  opera  or  drama  on  the 
stage  cannot  overdo  the  real  thing  in  Mexico.  On 
the  contrary  there  is  nothing  either  picturesque  or 
striking  in  the  appearance  of  the  women  of  the 
poorer  class,  who  scarcely  ever  wear  hats  or  bright 
colors.  The  expensive  hats  in  this  country  rest  on 
the  heads  of  the  men,  not  the  women. 

There  are  various  taxes  and  charges  imposed 
upon  industry,  aside  from  stamp  taxes.  For  in- 
stance, the  government  taxes  butchers  for  slaughter- 
ing cattle,  each  two  dollars  and  thirty-five  cents; 
hogs,  each  ninety  cents ;  sheep  or  goats,  each  twenty 
cents  in  gold,  which  is  double  that  amount  in  Mex- 
ican money.  This  tax  alone  in  Mexico  City  amounts 
to  three  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars  a  year 
in  gold.  And  here  is  an  instance  of  the  reckless 
giving  away  of  concessions.  While  the  United  States 
is  fighting  the  beef  trust  Mexico  has  recently 

321 

—21 


MEXICO  THE  WONDERFUL 

granted  an  American  company  a  concession  that 
gives  them  a  virtual  monopoly  of  the  slaughtering 
business  here.  It  has  given  this  company  an  ad- 
vantage over  all  other  butchers  by  reducing  to  them 
exclusively  the  above  rate  to  the  following  figures: 
For  slaughtering  each  beef,  five  cents;  each  hog, 
three  cents;  sheep  and  goats,  no  charge.  This  com- 
pany is  further  relieved  until  1913  from  paying  any 
federal,  state,  county  or  municipal  taxes  (except 
stamp  tax)  on  all  its  lands,  buildings,  machinery, 
capital  and  capital  stock.  It  is  also  relieved  from 
all  import  duties  on  materials  and  machinery  used 
in  the  construction  of  its  plants.  It  is  further  re- 
lieved from  export  duties.  It  also  has  magnificent 
water  power  free  from  taxation  for  twenty  years. 
In  addition  to  this  the  railroads  controlled  by  the 
government  are  to  construct  refrigerator  cars  and 
give  advantageous  freight  rates.  It  would  seem 
from  these  advantages  that  one  company  might  do 
a  very  profitable  business. 

This  illustrates  how  Mr.  Diaz  and  his  cabinet 
are  disposing  of  concessions  that  will  enrich  out- 
siders, rather  than  be  of  profit  to  the  government 
and  the  common  people. 


322 


OPERA    CLOAKS    AND    HATS 

NEW  USE  FOR  OPERA  GARMENTS. 

In  New  York  or  Chicago,  during  the  horse 
show  or  the  season  of  grand  opera,  or  even  at  ordin- 
ary times,  you  will  see  a  large  number  of  gentle- 
men after  six  o'clock  in  the  evening  wearing  "In- 
verness" or  cloak  overcoats,  with  capes  instead  of 
sleeves,  and  high  top  silk  hats,  sometimes  vulgarly 
called  "plug  hats." 

These  are  the  proper  things  to  wear  with  a  dress 
suit  and  you  will  find  this  garb  in  use  by  the  limited 
number  of  gentlemen  who  wear  proper  clothes  in 
all  cities  in  America.  But  I  did  not  expect  to  find 
them  all  the  go  in  Mexico,  and  it  looked  to  me  at 
first  as  though  a  large  number  of  the  gentlemen  of 
Mexico  were  on  the  way  to  an  up-to-date  grand 
opera,  both  day  and  night.  I  found,  however,  on 
further  inquiry,  that  this  particular  style  of  dress 
was  not  entirely  confined  here  to  the  people  who 
make  up  opera  or  theater  parties,  but  most  always 
covers  the  portly  forms  of  gentlemen  on  religious 
errands. 

When  the  separation  of  church  and  state  was 
accomplished  here,  a  number  of  stringent  laws  were 
made  affecting  the  clergy.  One  was  that  no  priest 
or  minister  of  any  religious  sect  should  appear  upon 
the  public  street  clad  in  any  religious  garb.  So,  in 

323 


MEXICO  THE  WONDERFUL 

conformity  with  the  new  law,  the  priests  cast  off  the 
gown  and  miter  of  the  church  and  adopted  the  cloak 
and  hat  of  the  man  who  attended  the  theater  or  the 
opera,  and  ever  since  that  time  the  priests  have 
appeared  in  this  dress  in  public,  and  it  becomes  them 
well. 

It  is  not  so  great  a  change  from  the  black  cloak 
of  the  priest  to  the  cloak  coat  of  an  opera  patron, 
and  a  high  smooth  silk  hat  adds  a  degree  of  dignity, 
either  to  priest  or  layman,  that  cannot  be  denied. 
So  that  the  law  that  was  made  to  erase  the  person- 
ality of  the  clergy  has  raised  the  "Inverness"  coat 
and  the  "plug  hat"  to  an  elevation  in  this  republic 
that  its  most  ardent  admirers  never  expected  to  see 
it  attain,  and  has  made  the  priests  the  most  dis- 
tinctive and  best  dressed  men  in  Mexico. 

Another  one  of  the  laws  enacted  at  this  time 
was  that  there  should  be  no  religious  processions. 
This  not  only  stopped  the  Catholic  processions,  but 
it  has  been  the  means  of  squelching  the  Salvation 
Army,  as  marching  seems  to  be  their  prevailing  mode 
of  worshiping  the  Lord  or  of  fighting  the  devil. 

PULQUE  OR  PULKEY. 

The  favorite  drink  of  the  lower  class  of  Mexi- 
cans is  "pulque"  or  "pulkey,"  as  it  is  sometimes 

324 


PULQUE    OR    PULKEY 

spelled.  It  is  for  sale  on  all  occasions  and  in  every 
place,  in  the  canteens  or  saloons,  in  the  cities,  towns 
or  villages,  and  it  is  peddled  at  the  stations  on  every 
road.  It  is  the  juice  of  the  maguey  or  century  plant. 
It  sells  at  two  or  three  cents  per  glass  in  Mexican 
money,  and  sometimes  as  low  as  one  cent,  which  is 
equivalent  to  one-half  cent  in  American  money. 

Its  price  places  it  within  the  reach  of  all,  but 
notwithstanding  the  low  figure  at  which  it  sells  the 
entire  business  represents  a  considerable  amount  of 
money.  J.  S.  Stoddard,  the  well  known  lecturer,  is 
authority  for  the  statement  that  the  Mexican  rail- 
way runs  one  train  each  day  from  the  valley  between 
Vera  Cruz  and  the  City  of  Mexico  to  carry  only 
pulque,  and  that  the  freight  on  this  one  article  pays 
this  railroad  one  thousand  dollars  per  day,  or  three 
hundred  and  sixty-five  thousand  dollars  per  year. 

The  maguey  fields  are  laid  out  in  regular  rows, 
the  plants  growing  as  great  as  ten  feet  in  height  and 
ten  feet  in  diameter,  measuring  to  the  ends  of  the 
leaves  or  arms,  and  a  field  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  or  more  makes  a  prettier  sight  than  one  who 
has  never  seen  one  might  imagine. 

It  takes  about  seven  years  for  one  of  these  plants 
to  reach  the  age  where  it  produces  pulque,  which  is 

325 


MEXICO  THE  WONDERFUL 

extracted  by  one  of  the  natives,  who  usually  goes 
through  the  field  with  two  or  three  pig  skins  strapped 
on  the  back  of  a  mule  or  burro. 

When  he  comes  to  a  plant  which  is  ready  to 
blossom,  he  takes  his  instrument,  which  is  a  hollow 
tube,  and  thrusts  it  into  the  bulb  in  the  center  of  the 
plant,  which  produces  the  juice.  He  then  places  his 
lips  to  the  upper  end  of  the  tube,  sucks  thereon  until 
he  lifts  the  juice  out  of  the  bulb  into  the  tube,  and 
then  he  discharges  it  into  the  pig  skin,  which  is  car- 
ried to  market  on  the  mule. 

Owing  to  the  enormous  size  of  the  plants  he  is 
compelled  to  crawl  up  between  the  great  leaves  or 
arms  with  their  thousands  of  needles,  and  in  the  act 
of  extracting  the  pulp,  while  hanging  onto  the  plant 
like  a  parasite,  he  makes  an  interesting  and  comical 
spectacle. 

No  way  as  yet  has  been  devised  by  which  this 
liquid  can  be  preserved.  If  not  drunk  within  about 
twenty-four  hours,  it  becomes  sour  and  unfit  for 
use.  As  a  consequence  it  appears  that  every  Mexican 
seems  to  think  it  devolves  upon  him  to  drink  his 
share  in  order  to  save  the  waste  that  would  occur 
by  allowing  the  stuff  to  spoil. 

It  is  somewhat  intoxicating  when  drunk  in  gen- 
erous quantities,  and  the  Mexicans  drink  it  that  way. 

326 


PULQUE    OR    PULKEY 

I  also  imagine  that  the  price,  which  is  ordinarily 
two  or  three  cents  and  sometimes  even  as  low  as  one 
cent,  is  negotiated  somewhat  on  the  "mark  down" 
sale  idea.  When  the  pulque  is  in  good  condition  it 
sells  for  three  cents.  If  it  has  seen  its  best  day  it 
will  be  marked  down  to  two  cents,  and  then  later  it 
will  be  put  upon  the  market  at  one  cent  per  glass. 

The  reader  has  probably  heard  of  the  little  boy 
and  the  little  girl  who  were  running  lemonade 
stands,  and  in  the  morning  were  selling  lemonade  at 
two  cents  per  glass.  In  the  afternoon  the  young 
man  had  a  "mark  down"  sale  and  put  his  lemonado 
on  the  market  at  one  cent  per  glass.  Being  asked 
by  a  patron  who  had  just  drunk  a  glass  why  he  re- 
duced the  price,  or  inaugurated  the  "mark  down" 
sale,  he  said  it  was  brought  about  because  about 
noonday  the  pup  had  fallen  into  his  crock  and  from 
that  time  on  the  reduced  price  had  been  in  operation. 

As  above  stated,  it  takes  seven  years  for  a 
maguey  plant  to  produce  pulque.  After  the  juice  is 
extracted,  the  plant  dies,  but  it  is  immediately  re- 
placed by  a  new  plant.  When  the  field  is  laid  out 
this  matter  is  taken  into  consideration  and  the  field 
is  so  devised,  or  the  number  of  plants  so  arranged, 
that  about  one-seventh  of  the  plants  will  mature  each 
year,  thus  maintaining  a  yearly  production  of  the 

327 


MEXICO   THE   WONDERFUL 

liquid,  and  as  there  is  practically  no  winter  here,  the 
gathering  of  the  liquid  is  kept  up  every  day  of  the 
year,  and  the  supply,  which  is  limited  in  the  time 
it  is  good  to  use,  and  not  in  quantity,  to  about 
twenty-four  hours,  is  never  exhausted. 


328 


The  Twentieth  Letter* 


COUNTRY,  CLIMATE,  POPULATION. 

In  order  to  give  the  reader,  who  has  patiently 
followed  me  through  these  various  letters,  a  better 
understanding  of  whom  and  what  we  are  writing 
about,  I  thought  it  would  be  best  to  halt  right  here 
long  enough  to  give  a  little  description  of  the  coun- 
try and  show  of  what  the  population  is  made  up. 
The  extreme  length  of  Mexico,  from  north  to  south, 
is  about  two  thousand  miles,  about  as  far  as  from 
New  York  City  to  Denver.  The  northern  boundary  is 
seven  hundred  and  fifty  miles  wide  and  it  tapers 
down  to  a  width  at  Tehuantepec  of  one  hundred  and 
forty  miles. 

There  are  two  mountain  ranges,  one  on  the  east 
side  which  follows  close  the  line  of  the  shore  of  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  one  near  the  west  that  is  a  con- 
tinuation of  the  Sierre  Madre  of  our  own  Arizona, 
which  territory  forms  the  northern  boundary  of  the 
republic.  This  range  is  about  two  hundred  and  fifty 

329 


MEXICO    THE    WONDERFUL 
miles  from  the  Pacific,  where  it  crosses  the  northern 
boundary  line,  but  approaches  much  closer  to   the 
ocean  further  south. 

This  leaves  about  three-fourths  of  the  republic 
a  somewhat  hilly  table-land  between  these  ranges, 
from  six  thousand  to  eight  thousand  feet  above  sea 
level.  The  climate  of  these  table-lands  is  never 
oppressively  hot,  even  in  summer,  and  is  never  cold 
in  winter. 

The  northern  part  of  the  country  is  quite  bar- 
ren, a  considerable  part  being  designated  as  desert 
land,  and  about  three-fourths  of  the  population  of 
the  whole  republic  is  within  a  radius  of  a  few  hun- 
dred miles  of  Mexico  City,  which  is  about  one  thou- 
sand miles  south  of  the  northern  boundary. 

The  low  lands  along  the  coast,  and  especially 
those  south  of  Vera  Cruz,  are  called  the  "Tierra 
Caliente,"  or  the  hot  country,  the  weather  being 
warm  at  all  times.  As  you  rise  going  toward  the 
interior,  you  always  find  a  cool  temperature.  You 
rise  in  five  hours  from  a  torrid  heat  to  a  temperate 
zone,  and  if  you  want  to  get  a  regular  arctic  climate, 
you  can  get  it  at  any  time  by  going  up  one  of  the 
several  mountains  from  whose  brow  the  snows  never 
depart. 

The  climate  of  Mexico  City  Is  delightful  at  all 

330 


CLIMATE    AND    POPULATION 

seasons  of  the  year.  There  is  a  movement  among  the 
railroad  men  and  people  who  have  the  interests  of 
Mexico  at  heart  to  divert  the  summer  travel  to  that 
place.  The  high  altitude  of  the  city  and  its  peculiar 
surroundings  are  such  that  it  is  never  very  warm 
even  in  midsummer.  The  thermometer  varies  but  lit- 
tle during  the  year.  The  mean  average  of  the  winter 
months  is  between  fifty  and  sixty  degrees  F.,  and  of 
the  summer  months  between  sixty  and  seventy  de- 
grees F.  The  nights  are  always  cool  and  the  days 
are  always  pleasant,  there  being  neither  excessive 
heat  nor  cold  at  any  time. 

There  are  many  delightful  places  to  spend  the 
summer  months  in  Mexico,  and  there  is  an  inclina- 
tion now  to  make  it  a  summer  resort  as  well  as  a 
winter  resort. 

The  republic  of  Mexico  is  comprised  of  twenty- 
eight  states,  one  territory  and  a  federal  district, 
surrounding  Mexico  City,  similar  to  the  District  of 
Columbia  in  which  Washington  City  in  the  United 
States  is  located.  Each  state  has  two  senators  in  the 
national  senate,  and  one  member  of  congress  for 
each  forty  thousand  population  or  fraction  over 
twenty  thousand. 

The  population  of  the  whole  republic  is  about 
fourteen  million  at  the  present  time,  which  is  divided 

331 


MEXICO  THE  WONDERFUL 

approximately  as  follows:  Five  million  pure  bred 
Indians,  descendants  of  the  original  Aztecs  and 
other  tribes,  nearly  six  million  of  mixed  white,  In- 
dian and  sometimes  negro  blood,  and  not  over  three 
million  whites,  mostly  Spaniards  or  their  descend- 
ants, so  that  it  will  be  seen  that  the  lower  strata  of 
society,  the  Indians  and  mixture  of  Indians  with 
other  blood,  very  largely  outnumber  the  more  in- 
telligent races  of  people. 

With  the  admixture  of  population  which  Mexico 
has,  it  is  really  a  wonder  this  country  has  made  the 
progress  that  it  has,  and  when  the  poverty  of  the 
people  is  considered,  they  deserve  great  credit  for 
what  they  have  achieved.  Many  of  them  are  so  poor, 
from  the  cradle  to  the  grave,  that  in  comparison 
Lazarus  might  have  been  considered  an  aristocrat, 
when  he  ate  the  crumbs  that  fell  from  the  master's 
table,  and  when  the  dogs  acted  as  his  only  physicians. 

Many  people  go  from  the  United  States  to  visit 
Mexico,  and  when  they  have  traveled  about  a  thou- 
sand miles  and  have  reached  the  capital,  they 
imagine  that  they  have  seen  the  whole  of  the  repub- 
lic, while  they  have  only  got  into  the  interesting  part 
of  the  country. 

It  is  the  people  that  make  up  a  nation  and  not 
the  waste  lands.  Draw  a  line  across  Mexico  from 

332 


CLIMATE    AND    POPULATION 

Tampico  on  the  gulf  to  San  Bias  on  the  Pacific  coast, 
and  there  are  eleven  million  of  the  population  living 
below  this  line  and  only  three  million  north  of  this 
line,  and  this  line  would  be  within  one  hundred  and 
seventy-five  miles  of  Mexico  City. 

So  it  is  necessary  to  go,  not  only  to  the  city, 
but  south  of  the  city  and  also  east  and  west  if  you 
would  like  to  be  able  to  judge  of  Mexico  and  her 
people.  Very  few  of  the  important  or  interesting 
cities  are  very  far  north  of  the  capital.  Besides  this, 
one  should  go  into  the  interior  away  from  the  rail- 
roads to  judge  of  the  real  life  of  the  inhabitants. 

Spanish  is  the  official  and  prevailing  language, 
although  there  are  some  tribes  in  the  interior  that 
have  languages  of  their  own. 

There  are  a  number  of  Americans  in  all  the 
cities,  the  number  in  Mexico  City  being  estimated  at 
five  to  ten  thousand.  The  population  of  Mexico 
City  is  nearly  four  hundred  thousand,  showing  a 
gain  of  about  fifty  thousand  in  the  last  ten  years. 
The  population  of  Guadalajara  is  over  one  hundred 
thousand;  Puebla,  ninety-eight  thousand;  Leon, 
sixty-three  thousand ;  Monterey,  sixty-two  thousand ; 
San  Luis  Potosi,  sixty  thousand;  Merida  about  the 
same,  and  there  are  ten  or  a  dozen  other  cities  of 
twenty-five  thousand  population  or  over. 

333 


MEXICO    THE   WONDERFUL 

CONSTITUTION    AND    LAWS. 

The  constitution  of  the  United  States  was  taken 
as  a  model  in  preparing  the  constitution  and  laws 
of  Mexico,  but  it  differs  in  several  regards. 

In  our  country  there  has  been  some  question  as 
to  whether  the  constitution  shall  go  with  the  flag. 
In  Mexico  the  question  frequently  arises  whether  it 
shall  go  at  all. 

After  a  year's  session  a  Mexican  congress,  on 
February  3,  1857,  issued  "in  the  name  of  God  and 
by  authority  of  the  Mexican  people"  the  constitu- 
tion that  is  now  in  force,  and  of  which  Mr.  Seward, 
Lincoln's  Secretary  of  State,  said  that  he  regarded 
it  as  the  best  instrument  of  its  kind  in  the  world. 
It  has  been  amended  since  then.  A  brief  synopsis 
of  this  constitution  follows: 

1.  The  establishment  of  a  constitutional  fed- 
eral government  in  the  place  of  a  military  dictator- 
ship. 

2.  Freedom  and  protection  to  (fugitive)  slaves 
that  enter  the  national  territory. 

3.  Freedom  of  religion. 

4.  Freedom  of  the  press. 

5.  Nationalization  of  two  hundred  million  dol- 
lars' worth  of  church  property. 

6.  Subordination  of  the  army  to  the  civil  power 

334 


CONSTITUTION     AND     LAWS 

and  the  abolition  of  special  military  and  ecclesias- 
tical tribunals. 

7.  The  negotiation  of  commercial  treaties  of 
the  fullest  scope   and  liberal   character,   including 
reciprocity  of  trade  on  the  frontiers. 

8.  The  colonization  of    Mexico    by   the    full 
opening  of  every  part  of  the  country  to  immigration 
and  the  encouragement  of  foreign  enterprise  in  every 
branch  of  industry,  particularly  in  mining  and  in 
works  of  internal  improvement. 

To  carry  out  the  provisions  and  purposes  of  the 
national  constitution  and  guard  the  liberties  which 
it  guarantees,  enactments  of  the  legislature  called 
"Laws  of  Reform"  have  been  issued,  the  leading 
items  of  which  are  as  follows : 

The  complete  separation  of  the  church  and  state. 

The  free  exercise  of  religious  services.  The  state 
will  not  give  official  recognition  to  any  religious  fes- 
tivals save  the  Sabbath  as  a  day  of  rest. 

Religious  services  are  to  be  held  only  within  the 
place  of  worship. 

Clerical  vestments  are  forbidden  in  the  streets. 

Religious  processions  are  forbidden. 

The  use  of  church  bells  is  restricted  to  calling 
the  people  to  religious  worship. 

Pulpit  discourses  advising  disobedience  to  the 

335 


MEXICO    THE   WONDERFUL 

law  or  injury  to  anyone  are  strictly  forbidden.  Wor- 
ship in  the  churches  shall  be  public  only. 

Gifts  of  real  estate  to  religious  institutions  are 
unlawful,  with  the  sole  exception  of  edifices  designed 
exclusively  for  the  purposes  of  the  institution. 

The  state  must  not  recognize  monastic  orders 
nor  permit  their  establishment.  The  association  of 
Sisters  of  Charity  is  suppressed  in  the  republic,  and 
Jesuits  are  expelled  and  may  not  return. 

Matrimony  is  a  civil  contract  and  is  to  be  duly 
registered;  the  religious  service  may  be  added. 

Cemeteries  are  under  civil  inspection  and  open 
to  the  burial  of  all  classes  and  creeds. 

No  one  can  sign  away  his  liberty  by  contract  or 
religious  vow. 

Education  in  the  public  schools  is  free  and  com- 
pulsory. 

POLICE    AND    MILITARY. 

Mexico  City  has  a  police  force  of  two  thousand 
four  hundred  men,  four  hundred  of  whom  are 
mounted  and  two  thousand  work  on  foot.  Allowing 
the  city  a  population  of  three  hundred  and  eighty 
thousand,  this  gives  one  policeman  to  a  trifle  less  than 
one  hundred  and  sixty  of  the  population.  Assuming 
there  is  one  voter  or  full  grown  man  in  each  four  of 

336 


Photo  by  Thomas  Rees. 


MEXICAN    PEON. 

"Many    of    them    are    so    poor    that    in    comparison    Lazarus 
might   have   been   considered   an   aristocrat." — Page  332, 


POLICE    AND    MILITARY 

the  population,  this  would  make  one  policeman  to 
every  forty  men  in  the  city.  The  city  in  which  I  live 
has  a  population  of  about  fifty  thousand,  and  has  less 
than  forty  policemen,  or  less  than  one  to  every  twelve 
hundred  of  population.  This  city  is  much  more  scat- 
tered than  Mexico  City.  I  should  think  both  cities 
cover  about  the  same  area  of  territory.  This  would 
give  Mexico  City  about  sixty  times  as  many  police- 
men to  the  square  mile  as  an  American  city  of  this 
size. 

The  policemen  are  well  uniformed  and  the 
mounted  ones  ride  very  good  horses,  and  from  their 
number  it  would  seem  to  be  a  very  easy  thing  to  get 
arrested,  and  yet  it  does  not  appear  that  there  are  so 
many  arrests  in  proportion. 

The  city  policemen  carry  "billies"  or  clubs,  as 
our  policemen  do,  and  also  carry  revolvers,  as  is  the 
custom  with  all  police.  The  revolvers,  however,  are 
of  large  size,  are  strapped  on  the  outside  with  a  good 
belt,  and  are  ready  for  action.  The  mounted  police- 
men carry  rifles  or  carbines. 

In  addition  to  these  accoutrements,  at  night  each 
policeman  on  foot  has  a  lantern.  There  is  a  police- 
man at  every  corner  and  he  places  his  lantern  on  the 
ground  at  the  center  of  the  street  intersection,  and, 
retiring  to  the  sidewalk,  stands  on  call,  so  that  from 

337 

—22 


MEXICO  THE  WONDERFUL 

any  corner  you  can  see  these  little  lighthouses  of 
safety  in  every  direction  for  a  very  great  distance. 
You  also  know  that  where  the  lantern  is,  the  police- 
man is  near  at  hand  and  easy  to  find. 

In  addition  to  policemen  at  every  corner,  you 
find  them  in  many  other  places  like  hotel  entrances, 
theater  doors,  railroad  stations,  etc. 

No  hack  leaves  a  railway  station  until  the  police 
have  taken  the  carriage  number  and  the  destination 
of  its  passengers. 

,>  So  Mexico  City  is  a  fairly  well  regulated  place 
so  far  as  the  police  force  is  concerned,  and  you  are 
pretty  safe  at  all  times,  except  from  petty  larceny 
and  pocket  picking,  in  which  it  is  said  these  people 
are  so  exceedingly  expert  that  nobody  can  catch 
them. 

In  addition  to  the  policemen  there  are  the 
"Ru rales,"  or  rural  guards,  and  there  are  soldiers 
everywhere,  so  that  all  the  time  you  are  in  Mexico 
you  seem  to  be  in  a  vast  military  camp.  The  stand- 
ing army  numbers  about  thirty  thousand  men,  nearly 
half  as  many  as  the  United  States  army  now  in  the 
States,  while  the  population  of  the  republic  is  only 
about  twice  that  of  New  York  state  alone,  so  it  gives 
a  good  sprinkling  of  soldiers.  In  addition  to  this 
there  is  a  reserve  force  of  great  numbers. 

338 


POLICE    AND    MILITARY 

But  the  most  remarkable  part  of  the  military  or 
police  service  is  that  known  as  the  "Rurales,"  and 
the  organization  of  this  body  shows  the  shrewdness 
and  policy  of  President  Diaz. 

For  many  years  the  country  was  full  of  bandits. 
Every  road  was  infested  with  cutthroats  and  rob- 
bers, and  life  even  in  the  cities  was  not  safe.  Rich 
miners  had  to  maintain  standing  armies.  Merchants 
moving  goods  through  the  country  had  to  hire  armed 
soldiers  to  guard  them.  Property  or  life  were  not 
safe  any  place.  The  robbers  held  people  up  on  the 
roads  and  robbed  them,  not  only  of  their  money,  but 
even  of  every  stitch  of  clothing  they  wore,  and  left 
them  naked  on  the  highway. 

With  all  the  effort  to  suppress  these  outlaws,  the 
number  continued  about  the  same.  When  caught, 
they  were  shot  without  trial.  One  officer  in  one  com- 
munity reported  that  he  had  shot  one  hundred  and 
thirteen  bandits  in  two  years,  but  there  were  always 
others  to  take  their  places  and  continue  the  bandit 
business  where  the  others  left  off.  Outlawry,  which 
had  been  carried  on  for  generations,  had  got  down 
to  a  business  basis.  The  bandits  possessed  good 
horses,  good  arms,  and  were  a  fearless,  dare-devil 
set.  They  knew  every  nook  and  crevice  in  the  coun- 

339 


MEXICO    THE    WONDERFUL 

try,  and  they  could  not  often  be  captured  and  never 
suppressed. 

Soon  after  Diaz  became  president,  he  sent  word 
to  all  the  heads  of  the  different  bands  and  clans  in 
the  country  to  come  in  and  have  a  peace  conference 
with  him.  Most  of  them  appeared  and  the  president 
opened  negotiations  with  them. 

They  took  up  the  matter  of  earnings,  and  it  was 
finally  concluded  that,  the  business  being  somewhat 
overdone,  the  earnings  of  the  average  bandit,  taken 
year  in  and  year  out,  amounted  to  about  thirty  or 
forty  dollars  per  month. 

That  being  arrived  at,  Diaz  asked  them  if  they 
would  not  rather  earn  the  same  amount  of  money 
with  more  regularity,  with  less  work  and  less  risk  of 
life,  and  if  they  did  chance  to  lose  their  lives  it  would 
be  in  the  line  of  duty  and  not  as  brigands,  and  they 
would  have  a  Christian  burial  and  be  buried  under 
the  white  cross  of  innocence  rather  than  under 
the  black  cross  of  perdition,  without  hope  of  resur- 
rection or  prayers  for  the  repose  of  their  souls.  Of 
course  there  could  be  but  one  answer  to  such  a  prop- 
osition. 

The  negotiations  ended  by  the  government  hir- 
ing every  bandit  in  the  republic  to  maintain  law  and 
order  and  to  protect  the  roads  instead  of  to  rob  and 

340 


POLICE    AND    MILITARY 

murder  people;  and  so  the  rural  guard  was  organ- 
ized. 

One  of  the  most  remarkable  and  efficient  police 
forces  was  thereby  installed  and  it  has  been  a  success 
ever  since,  and  they  say  there  is  to-day  less  highway 
robbery  in  Mexico  than  in  any  other  country  on  the 
face  of  the  globe. 

These  rural  guards  patrol  all  the  roads,  are  at 
every  railway  station  on  the  arrival  and  departure  of 
all  trains  and  at  least  two  of  them  on  every  train. 
They  wear  handsome  uniforms  of  gray,  surmounted 
by  a  broad-brimmed  sombrero  ornamented  with  loads 
of  silver  cord  and  silver  embroidery  and  their  respect- 
ive numbers,  and  they  carry  the  latest  pattern  of 
sure-shot  carbines,  which  are  always  in  evidence. 

The  penalty  for  highway  robbery  is  death.  Since 
the  organization  of  this  corps  there  has  been 
but  one  hold-up  of  a  railway  train  in  Mexico,  and 
that  was  by  a  gang  of  Americans  near  the  Texas  line. 

One  day  a  train  on  which  I  was  riding  came  to 
a  sudden  halt  to  prevent  striking  a  cow  which  was 
on  the  track.  Quicker  than  it  takes  to  tell  it  the 
rural  guardsmen  had  leaped  from  the  train  and  were 
at  the  head  of  the  engine  with  their  rifles  ready  for 
action. 

341 


MEXICO   THE  WONDERFUL 

With  all  these  factors  of  safety,  however,  a  num- 
ber of  persons  seem  to  have  more  confidence  in  them- 
selves than  in  the  government,  and  yon  may  see  on 
trains  in  lower  Mexico  persons  carrying  revolvers 
strapped  on  as  they  used  to  or  do  now  in  some  places 
in  the  western  mining  camps  of  the  United  States. 


342 


The  Twenty-first  Letter* 


SOME    HISTORY. 

It  seems  to  be  necessary  here  to  insert  a  limited 
amount  of  history  to  explain  some  of  the  characters 
that  have  been  referred  to  with  more  or  less  fre- 
quency in  the  preceding  letters.  I  will  promise  the 
reader,  however,  that  the  historical  section  will  be  as 
short  as  possible,  as  I  like  to  write  original  matter, 
and  it  is  difficult  to  write  a  history  as  it  ought  to- 
be  written  and  be  entirely  original  at  the  same  time 

The  great  events  in  Mexican  history,  and  the 
great  characters  of  this  remarkable  country,  are 
worthy  of  a  very  careful  study  and  more  attention 
than  they  will  receive  here. 

That  Mexico  had  a  prehistoric  era  is  evidenced 
by  the  ruins  which  are  scattered  from  one  end  of  the 
country  to  the  other,  and  which  are  certain  to  have 
been  the  handiwork  of  people  whose  names  are  con- 
spicuous by  their  absence  from  our  current  text- 
books. This  era  I  will  not  discuss  here. 

343 


MEXICO  THE  WONDERFUL 

So,  starting  with  more  modern  history,  we  are 
told  that  a  race  called  the  Toltecs  inhabited  Central 
or  Southern  Mexico  previous  to  the  Aztecs. 

The  latter,  by  unreliable  history  or  tradition, 
seem  to  date  from  about  the  year  1320  A.  D.,  and 
these  are  the  people  whom  Cortez  had  to  contend 
with  when  he  reached  what  was  then  called  Tenoch- 
titlan,  but  which  is  now  called  Mexico  City. 

It  is  not  known  where  they  originated  nor 
whence  they  came,  but  they  were  here.  The  Aztecs, 
although  the  leading  nation  of  this  section,  called  by 
historians  an  empire,  had  never  gained  complete  con- 
trol of  all  the  people  of  this  country,  but  were  at 
war,  as  it  appears,  at  all  tunes  with  some  of  the  sur- 
rounding tribes  or  nations,  notably  the  Tlaxcalans, 
whom  it  seems  they  had  never  been  able  to  subdue, 
and  whose  enmity,  with  the  genius  of  Cortez,  was  the 
cause  of  their  final  destruction. 

The  natives  of  Mexico  were  in  a  well  advanced 
stage  of  civilization  when  the  discovery  of  this  con- 
tinent was  made. 

The  City  of  Mexico,  and  other  cities,  were  well 
built  of  masonry  and  wood  work,  and  had  great 
temples  with  altars  magnificently  furnished.  Many 
articles  were  skillfully  made  of  gold  and  silver,  and 

344 


MONTEZUMA 

cloth  of  feathers  and  other  materials  was  beautifully 
woven. 

The  matter  of  government  was  carried  on  better 
than  it  has  been  on  some  occasions  since  then.  The 
cities  were  laid  out  in  regular  blocks  and  streets,  in 
many  respects  better  than  some  of  the  older  cities  of 
Spain,  England,  France  and  even  the  United  States. 
The  same  streets  are  used  to-day  that  were  laid  out 
by  the  Aztecs  and  other  natives,  except  that  in  Mex- 
ico City  many  of  the  streets  were  canals  then,  which 
were  filled  up  by  Cortez  and  others,  and  are  now 
streets  in  fact. 

MONTEZUMA. 

The  Aztec  Empire  was,  when  discovered  by  the 
Spaniards,  ruled  by  Montezuma,  the  name  meaning 
"The  severe  one,"  or  "The  sad  one."  The  name  is 
spelled  in  several  different  forms.  Ordinarily  people 
speak  of  "Montesuma,"  meaning  the  particular 
Montezuma  who  was  ruler  of  this  country  when 
Cortez  came,  although  there  were  one  or  more  of  the 
same  name  who  had  ruled  previously. 

The  Aztecs  under  Montezuma  were,  at  the  time 
of  the  Conquest,  a  severe  and  bloodthirsty  race. 
Montezuma  ruled  in  splendor,  had  great  temples, 
grand  palaces  and  immense  zoological  gardens 

345 


MEXICO  THE   WONDERFUL 

stocked  with  all  kinds  of  animals  and  with  many 
men  to  care  for  them,  and  among  other  appurte- 
nances he  had  not  less  than  one  thousand  wives,  all 
lodged  in  their  own  apartments  and  splendidly  pro- 
vided for.  He  dressed  in  the  height  of  fashion  from 
his  own  standpoint  and  his  clothing  and  person  were 
ornamented  with  gold  and  pearls. 

He  liked  fish,  and  salt  water  fish  at  that.  In 
those  days  they  did  not  have  any  railroads  nor  re- 
frigerator cars  nor  cold  storage  of  any  kind,  so 
Montezuma  organized  a  relay  of  men  who  ran  on  foot 
from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  and  carried  fish  in  bags  as 
they  ran,  and  laid  them  on  his  majesty's  table  before 
the  skippers  could  get  into  them.  He  would  have 
them  on  his  table  within  twenty-four  hours  from  the 
time  they  were  swimming  in  the  gulf,  over  two  hun- 
dred miles  away. 

He  never  used  the  same  dishes  more  than  once, 
they  being  consigned  to  the  servants  after  each  meal, 
except  a  set  of  solid  gold  dishes,  which  were  used 
only  on  holy  feast  days.  He  never  wore  the  same 
suit  of  clothes  the  second  time,  so  it  must  be  taken 
for  granted  that  he  lived  pretty  well  and  that  he 
reluctantly  gave  up  a  rich  position  when  Cortez 
seized  hi™  in  his  own  castle  and  carried  him  away 
and  confined  him  in  irons  in  the  Spanish  quarters, 

346 


MONTEZUMA 

which  he  had  established  in  Montezuma's  capital. 
The  people  of  Mexico  City,  or  Tenochtitlan,  as  it  was 
called  then,  rebelled  against  the  Spaniards  when 
their  emperor  was  carried  away,  and  at  the  solicita- 
tion of  Cortez,  Monteznma  appeared  on  top  of  the 
walls  of  the  temple  to  pacify  them.  But  the  people 
had  lost  confidence  in  their  ruler  and  set  npon  him 
with  stones,  javelins  and  other  missiles.  He  died  four 
days  later  from  his  wounds  and  a  broken  heart — a 
sudden  ending  to  so  glorious  a  reign. 

Only  a  few  months  before  had  Montezuma  met 
Cortez  in  great  state,  placing  magnificent  presents  at 
his  feet,  among  which  is  recorded  in  history  a  solid 
gold  plate  as  large  as  a  cart  wheel,  of  exquisite  work- 
manship, representing  the  sun,  and  another  still 
larger  of  solid  silver  representing  the  moon,  besides 
a  cask  full  of  golden  grains  as  they  came  from  the 
mines,  and  thirty  gold  ducks  as  big  and  almost  as 
natural  as  life,  etc.,  etc.  This  shows  that  the  tenure 
of  office  of  a  great  ruler  may  be  of  a  very  transitory 
nature,  that  great  riches  and  splendor  may  soon  take 
wings,  and  to  what  an  inglorious  end  a  great  ruler 
may  come.  And  so  ended  the  rule  of  Montezuma, 
the  mighty. 

On  the  death  of  Montezuma,  Cortez  and  his  band 
were  set  upon  and  driven  out  of  Mexico  City  with 

347 


MEXICO  THE  WONDERFUL 

great  loss  of  life.  His  army  was  nearly  annihilated. 
It  was  the  greatest  defeat  the  hardy  warrior  ever 
suffered.  This  will  be  referred  to  later  in  the  lif  3  of 
Cortez. 

GUATEMOTZIN. 

In  one  of  the  glorietas  or  circles  on  the  grand 
paseo  in  Mexico  City  is  the  statue  of  an  Indian 
standing  high  on  a  heavy  and  elaborate  stone  base 
with  bronze  panels,  representing  several  historic 
scenes. 

It  is  a  magnificent  work  of  art,  and  was  designed 
and  executed  by  a  native  artist.  It  represents 
Cuantemoc  or  Guatemotzin,  the  last  of  the  Aztec 
rulers  and  a  very  brave  and  determined  warrior. 

When  Cortez  seized  Montezuma  and  made  a 
prisoner  of  him,  he  still  remained  emperor  of  the 
Aztecs  until  his  death.  In  the  meantime,  however, 
Montezuma 's  brother,  Cuitlahua,  had  organized  the 
natives  against  Cortez,  and  on  the  death  of  Monte- 
zuma, Cuitlahua  became  ruler  of  the  empire,  and  was 
in  fact  ruler  at  the  time  of  the  expulsion. 

While  Cortez  was  reorganizing  his  army  and  his 
allies  at  Tlaxcala,  a  great  scourge  of  small  pox  swept 
over  the  whole  of  Mexico.  It  was  a  new  disease  to 
that  part  of  the  world,  having  been  introduced  by 

348 


GUATEMOTZIN 

the  Spaniards,  who  brought  with  them  a  negro  slave 
who  was  suffering  with  the  disease.  In  its  ravages 
it  caused  many  deaths,  and  Cuitlahua  was  one  of  its 
victims;  he  died  four  months  after  being  crowned 
and  before  Cortez  had  organized  for  the  final  siege 
of  the  capital. 

Guatemotzin  was  a  nephew  of  Montezuma,  and 
on  the  death  of  that  ruler  and  his  brother  Cuitlahua, 
Guatemotzin  was  installed  as  emperor,  and  it  was  he 
whom  Cortez  had  to  contend  with  when  he  came  to 
retake  Mexico.  Had  his  uncle,  Montezuma,  filled  his 
position  as  well  in  the  beginning  as  Guatemotzin  did 
in  the  final  struggle,  the  history  of  the  Conquest  so 
far  as  Cortez  was  concerned  would  certainly  have 
been  a  very  short  one,  as  he  and  his  whole  band  of 
adventurers  would  have  been  wiped  off  the  face  of 
the  earth  and  never  would  have  been  allowed  to  enter 
the  capital. 

Guatemotzin  organized  his  forces,  made  great 
preparations  for  the  defense  of  the  city,  and  made 
a  strong  fight,  but  the  whole  outside  country  under 
Cortez  had  been  organized  against  him,  and  Cortez 
had  at  his  disposal,  when  the  siege  commenced,  an 
army  estimated  to  have  been  at  least  two  hundred 
thousand  strong. 

But  the  young  emperor  did  not  surrender  until 

349 


MEXICO  THE  WONDERFUL 

nearly  all  his  city  was  completely  destroyed  and  the 
greater  part  of  his  followers  had  been  slain,  and  even 
then  only  left  the  city  when  it  was  in  flames  and  it 
was  impossible  for  him  longer  to  remain  therein. 

Cortez  found  in  him  a  strong  and  honorable  foe, 
worthy  of  every  consideration,  but  to  the  disgrace  of 
Cortez  and  the  Spaniards,  after  his  capture,  instead 
of  being  treated  as  a  prisoner  of  his  rank  should  have 
been  treated,  he  was  put  to  torture  in  order  to  induce 
him  to  disclose  the  wealth  which  he  was  supposed  to 
possess. 

Even  in  this  ordeal  he  proved  the  greatness  of 
his  character,  for  when  he  was  submitted  to  the  most 
excruciating  torture  he  refused  to  divulge  any  of  the 
information  which  his  captors  desired,  and  even  re- 
fused to  make  any  outcry  or  to  groan  while  suffering 
the  most  severe  pain. 

One  of  the  bronze  tablets  on  the  base  of  the 
monument  above  referred  to  represents  Guatemotzin 
lashed  to  a  large  stone  and  enduring  the  torture  of 
having  his  feet  burned  with  a  considerable  fire.  Not 
being  willing  to  impart  any  information,  after  much 
suffering,  he  was  ordered  released,  and  he  recovered 
from  the  torture. 

After  Cortez  had  held  him  as  a  prisoner  for 
some  time,  and  then  finally  concluded  to  go  south 

350 


GUATEMOTZIN 

into  Honduras  for  new  discoveries  and  new  advent- 
ures, he  deemed  it  unsafe  to  leave  Guatemotzin  at  the 
capital  for  fear  the  natives  would  again  organize 
against  the  Spaniards  and  drive  them  out  of  the 
country. 

He  therefore  took  Guatemotzin  and  several  of 
his  princes  and  nobles  with  him.  On  his  march  he 
had  many  things  to  contend  with,  and  he  did  not  add 
anything  to  his  safety  and  comfort  by  carrying  with 
him  a  lot  of  royal  prisoners. 

So  when  he  had  traveled  many  miles  and  arrived 
in  the  Honduras  country,  Cortez  accused  Guate- 
motzin of  organising  a  conspiracy  to  assassinate  him. 
It  is  very  doubtful  if  Cortez  had  any  grounds  on 
which  to  base  such  a  charge,  but  it  was  sufficient  to 
condemn  Guatemotzin  and  his  fellow  prisoners. 

In  order  to  rid  himself  of  the  burden  Cortez  and 
his  band  decided  that  Guatemotzin  and  his  com- 
panion prisoners  were  guilty  of  conspiracy  and  sen- 
tenced them  to  death. 

Then  the  Spaniards  hung  Guatemotzin  and  all  of 
his  noblemen  and  princes  with  him  from  the  branches 
of  a  great  tree  in  that  distant  country  far  away  from 
their  own  people.  Guatemotzin  said  to  Cortez: 
"Why  do  you  slay  me  so  unjustly?  God  will  de- 

351 


MEXICO   THE   WONDERFUL 

mand  it  of  you,"  and  so  the  end  of  the  royal  princes 
and  the  house  of  Montezuma  came  to  an  end. 

For  three  hundred  years  the  Aztecs  and  their 
descendants  and  all  the  natives  of  this  new  country 
became  subjects  of  the  crown  of  Spain  and  servants 
of  the  Spanish  who  came  among  them.  But  even 
now  every  feast  day  the  Indians  of  Central  Mexico, 
the  descendants  of  the  original  Aztecs,  meet  at  the 
base  of  this  heroic  statue  of  Guatemotzin  and  pay 
homage  to  the  last  of  their  princes — not  only  the 
last,  but  the  greatest  of  their  rulers. 


352 


The  Twenty-second  Letter* 


MR.  CORTEZ. 

Of  all  the  characters  the  world  has  ever  pro- 
duced, Cortez  was  one  of  the  most  remarkable.  He 
was  the  greatest  combination  of  adventurer,  general, 
statesman,  soldier,  buccaneer,  strategist,  conquestor, 
destroyer  of  temples,  builder  of  churches,  murderer, 
courtier,  lover,  polygamist,  robber,  saint,  cutthroat 
and  Christian  the  world  has  ever  known. 

He  was  a  man  of  many  parts,  did  not  know  fear, 
took  all  sorts  of  chances,  was  of  wonderful  resource 
and  won  out  many  times  when  a  personage  of  less 
courage  and  less  ingenuity  would  have  failed. 

With  all  of  his  badness,  he  had  many  good 
traits  and  with  some  goodness  he  had  more  and 
worse  traits  than  any  one  else.  He  never  let  any- 
thing stand  between  him  and  success,  and  in  nearly 
all  his  affairs  of  war,  statecraft,  treachery,  love  or 
religion,  he  came  out  on  the  winning  side.  But  with 

353 
—23 


MEXICO    THE   WONDERFUL 

all  his  cruelty,  deception,  warfare,  his  battles,  mas- 
sacres and  his  plunderings,  I  am  of  the  opinion  that 
eventually  he  did  more  good  in  Mexico  than  he  did 
harm. 

He  put  the  government  of  Mexico  in  the  hands 
of  Spain,  which  was  bad  enough,  but  it  was  a  better 
government  than  it  had  enjoyed  before. 

He  inaugurated  a  grim  quality  of  Christian  re- 
ligion with  the  attachment  of  the  Spanish  inquisi- 
tion, but  this  was  better  than  the  pagan  worship  of 
idols,  with  its  enormous  human  sacrifices,  which  he 
found. 

He  established  a  cruel  civilization,  but  a  higher 
and  better  civilization  than  Mexico  had  known  be- 
fore. 

He  destroyed  temples,  but  he  built  churches, 
fortresses  and  palaces  that  stand  even  unto  this  day, 
and  were  better  than  the  temples  he  destroyed. 

He  left  estates  that  are  the  inheritance  of  his 
relatives  at  this  time,  and  made  an  impress  on  Mex- 
ico that  has  never  been  eclipsed  nor  even  approached 
by  any  one  who  has  come  since  his  day,  and  his 
glory  is  likely  to  outlive  that  of  any  one  who  may 
follow  him  in  Mexico  in  all  the  years  yet  to  come. 

His  whole  life,  if  written,  would  fill  several  vol- 

354 


MR.    CORTEZ 

umes.  In  fact,  many  volumes  have  been  written  on 
it  already,  and  still  there  is  more  to  write. 

The  story  of  his  strenuous  and  tempestuous 
times  in  Mexico  is  more  like  a  romance  than  like  his- 
tory, and  can  hardly  be  believed  when  it  is  read. 

It  is  not  my  purpose  in  this  letter  to  write  all 
the  life  of  this  wonderful  man,  but  some  of  it  seems 
to  be  necessary  for  a  better  understanding  of  this 
series  of  communications. 

Cortez,  whose  surname  is  sometimes  given  as 
Hernando  and  other  times  as  Fernando,  was  born  in 
Spain  in  1485.  In  his  youth  he  was  what  might  have 
been  termed  a  worthless  sort  of  fellow. 

He  sailed  with  a  commander  and  after  a  num- 
ber of  adventures  he  arrived  at  and  helped  in  the 
conquest  or  the  subduing  of  the  natives  of  Cuba.  He 
was  well  treated  by  the  governor  of  Cuba,  whose 
name  was  Velasquez.  .He  was  given  a  large  land 
grant  and  a  number  of  natives  as  slaves  to  work  for 
him. 

He  fought  duels  and  led  a  riotous  and  romantic 
life.  He  became  engaged  to  a  beautiful  young  Span- 
ish woman  and  then  refused  to  marry  her.  He 
returned  the  kindness  of  the  governor  by  conspiring 
against  him. 

He  was  placed  in  irons  for  treason,  but  broke 

355 


MEXICO  THE  WONDERFUL 

his  shackles  and  then  used  them  to  break  his  way 
out  of  prison.  He  was  then  recaptured,  placed  on 
shipboard  to  be  sent  away  for  trial  for  treason,  but 
slipped  his  feet  out  of  the  shackles,  ran  off  with  one 
of  the  ship's  boats,  and  when  the  waters  became  too 
rough  for  it,  set  it  afloat,  jumped  overboard  and 
swam  to  shore.  He  afterwards  hanged  the  man  who 
arrested  him.  He  married  the  girl  whom  he  had 
deserted,  got  the  good  offices  of  her  family  and  be- 
came reconciled  to  the  governor. 

Then  the  governor  decided  to  put  hi™  in  com- 
mand of  an  expedition  to  go  to  Mexico  to  Christian- 
ize the  Indians,  that  being  the  chief  instruction  in 
regard  to  his  voyage. 

When  Cortez  had  about  half  completed  the 
preparation  of  his  fleet,  the  governor  became  sus- 
picious of  him  and  decided  to  place  the  command  of 
the  expedition  in  other  hands.  Cortez  heard  of  this 
and  that  same  night  he  lifted  anchor,  took  the  fleet 
so  illy  prepared,  appropriated  it,  carried  off  the 
city's  supply  of  meat,  and  sailed  out  on  the  waters 
of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

This  was  on  the  night  of  November  18,  1518. 
He  touched  at  other  points  on  the  coast  of  Cuba, 
where  the  governor  could  not  reach  him,  and  took 
on  further  supplies.  He  dodged  around  Cuba  with 

355 


MR.    CORTEZ 

his  fleet  some  three  months,  while  the  governor  was 
after  him. 

At  the  end  of  that  time  he  sailed  away  to  make 
one  of  the  greatest  conquests  the  world  has  ever 
known  and  to  make  more  history  than  is  usually 
accorded  to  one  man. 

He  landed  at  Tabasco,  on  the  Mexican  coast,  on 
March  20,  1519,  and  it  seems  that  he  was  as  warm  a 
proposition  at  that  time  as  the  famous  sauce  of 
that  name  is  today. 

When  he  landed  in  Mexico  he  had  about  seven 
hundred  sailors  and  soldiers,  two  hundred  Indians 
from  Cuba,  fourteen  small  cannons,  considerable 
ammunition,  some  Indian  women  whom  he  took  as 
cooks,  and  sixteen  horses,  to  conquer  a  country 
whose  inhabitants  were  numbered  by  millions  and 
who  were  a  bloodthirsty  and  warlike  people. 

He  raised  the  standard  of  his  crusade,  which 
was  a  crimson  banner  bearing  in  Spanish  the  legend, 
"Friends,  let  us  follow  the  cross,  and  if  we  have 
faith  we  will  conquer." 

The  hearts  and  courage  of  his  soldiers  sank  at 
the  appalling  task  before  them;  they  mutinied  and 
would  have  turned  back,  but  Cortez  prevented  this 
by  hanging  a  few  of  them  and  by  destroying  and 
sinking  every  ship  that  he  had,  making  a  return  an 

357 


MEXICO    THE    WONDERFUL 

impossibility.  So  his  soldiers  had  to  fight  or  be 
slaughtered  by  the  enemy. 

He  was  received  in  a  friendly  way  by  the 
natives,  which  friendliness  might  have  continued  if 
Cortez  had  come  for  that  purpose,  but  Cortez  came 
not  for  friendship,  but  for  gold  and  spoils,  and  to 
establish  a  religion  of  peace. 

He  started  inland,  and  after  a  few  slight  engage- 
ments came  to  Tlaxcala,  where  he  first  met  severe 
resistance  and  where  he  fought  five  battles  with 
these  people.  The  Mexicans  had  never  seen  horses 
and  had  never  heard  the  report  of  firearms.  They 
took  the  men  on  horses  to  be  gods  and  the  roar  of 
the  cannons  seemed  to  them  the  collapsing  of  the 
heavens  with  the  fires  of  hell.  The  reports  of  the 
guns  and  cannons  paralyzed  them  with  fear  at  first, 
but  they  recovered  and  fought  with  desperation. 

His  war  with  the  Tlaxcalans  was  one  of  his 
most  severe  ordeals.  He  was  opposed  on  one  or 
more  occasions  by  a  greater  number  than  one  hun- 
dred thousand  warriors,  who  came  down  upon  his 
little  army  in  the  gulches  as  great  avalanches  come 
down  on  the  traveler  in  the  Alps. 

His  troops  fought  bravely,  slaughtered  the 
natives  by  hundreds  and  even  by  the  thousands  as 

358 


MB.    CORTEZ 

he  sent  volleys  of  musketry  and  cannon  shot  into 
their  ranks. 

Between  battles  he  invited  them  to  be  allies,  and 
when  the  opposing  general  or  chief  sent  fifty  of  his 
best  men  ostensibly  as  envoys  of  peace,  but  in  reality 
as  spies  into  his  camp,  he  cut  off  the  hands  of  all 
of  them  and  then  sent  them  back  with  a  defiance  of 
war,  a  message  of  peace  and  an  invitation  to  join 
him  in  fighting  and  in  humbling  the  great  Monte- 
zuma. 

Then  the  Tlaxcalans  gave  up  the  fight  and 
joined  with  him  and  became  his  stanchest  allies.  He 
enlisted  them  in  his  army,  which  gave  Mm  a  large 
following. 

He  then  went  to  Gholula  on  an  invitation  of  the 
ruler  of  that  city,  where  he  massacred  a  large  num- 
ber of  people,  estimated  by  various  writers  at  from 
three  to  six  thousand.  He  also  destroyed  their 
temples  and  leveled  to  the  ground  every  house  in  the 
town,  which  consisted  of  at  least  twenty  thousand 
habitations,  housing  one  hundred  thousand  or  more 
people. 

He  replaced  their  temples  by  churches  and  re- 
ceived their  apologies  for  his  intrusion. 

The  massacre  was  as  brutal  an  affair  as  could 
have  erer  taken  place  in  the  darkest  ages.  The 

359 


MEXICO    THE    WONDERFUL 

natives  were  invited  into  a  square,  unarmed,  sur- 
rounded by  high  walls  and  buildings,  and  were 
slaughtered  like  cattle  in  a  pen. 

Yet  it  was  not  without  some  reason  on  the 
adventurer's  part.  He  had  been  invited  to  visit  their 
city  under  the  guise  of  friendship,  but  it  seems  there 
was  a  conspiracy  on  the  part  of  the  Cholulans  to  lead 
him  into  the  same  place  and  to  slaughter  him  and  his 
troops  just  as  he  destroyed  them  before  the  regular 
slaughter  according  to  the  original  program  had 
commenced. 

Before  this  time  he  had  been  notified  by  Monte- 
zuma,  who  sent  him  valuable  presents  and  good 
tidings  of  friendship,  not  to  come  to  his  capital.  He 
returned  his  compliments  to  Montezuma  and  said 
he  thought  he  would  come  anyhow.  He  then  sent 
men  to  the  top  of  Mount  Popocatepetl,  who 
descended  into  the  crater,  secured  sulphur,  made  a 
new  supply  of  powder,  and  continued  his  march. 

He  fought  his  way,  winning  several  battles,  and 
entered  the  capital  of  the  Aztec  empire,  the  great  city 
of  Tenochtitlan,  now  the  City  of  Mexico,  and  was 
royally  received  by  Montezuma,  who  met  him  osten- 
sibly as  a  monarch,  but  in  reality  as  a  superstitious, 
trembling  coward. 

The  mighty  ruler,  who  had  made  war  on  millions 

360 


MR.    CORTEZ 

and  had  slaughtered  thousands  for  his  own  amuse- 
ment, was  now  face  to  face  with  a  greater  power  that 
was  to  eclipse  forever  his  glory  and  soon  bring  him 
to  an  ignominious  death. 

Cortez  tried  to  convert  Montezuma  to  the  Chris- 
tian religion,  but  seems  to  have  failed.  Before  Cortez 
had  reached  Mexico  City  he  had  suppressed  several 
mutinies  in  his  own  ranks,  which  necessitated  the 
hanging  of  several  of  the  best  men  of  his  little  army, 
and  as  the  natives  had  killed  others,  his  original  army 
was  reduced  to  small  numbers,  but  he  had  a  large 
acquisition  of  natives,  which  came  him  well  in  hand. 

After  he  had  remained  in  the  Aztec  capital  for 
a  while,  he  accused  Montezuma  of  treachery,  seized 
him  and  made  a  captive  of  him  in  the  Spanish 
quarters,  which  he  had  established. 

Then  he  tried,  convicted  and  burned  at  the  stake 
a  governor  and  several  leading  men  of  one  of  the 
provinces  who  had  assaulted  some  of  his  men.  When 
the  people  rebelled  Cortez  compelled  Montezuma  to 
go  upon  the  temple  and  endeavor  to  pacify  the 
people.  Montezuma  was  assaulted  and  wounded  by 
his  own  people  and  died  a  few  days  later. 

In  the  meantime  Cortez  had  more  troubles.  The 
Governor  of  Cuba,  who  was  intent  on  his  destruction, 

361 


MEXICO    THE    WONDERFUL 

sent  a  fleet  of  twelve  hundred  men  to  Mexico  to  cap- 
ture Cortez  and  bring  him  back  dead  or  alive. 

Cortez  turned  over  the  possession  of  Mexico  to 
about  one  hundred  and  fifty  men  and  went  to  Vera 
Cruz  to  meet  the  new  invading  army  which  were 
after  his  scalp,  instead  of  the  scalps  of  the  Indians. 

The  new  army  of  invaders  had  left  their  skips 
and  were  camped  on  the  shore,  ready  to  march  inland 
and  capture  the  adventurer.  Cortez  did  not  wait  to 
be  caught  first,  but  with  two  hundred  and  sixty  men 
he  marched  from  Mexico  to  meet  them,  gathering  up 
sixty  more  of  his  men  on  the  way.  He  came  upon 
his  fellow  countrymen  in  the  night  in  the  midst  of 
a  great  storm  when  he  was  least  expected,  and  before 
they  knew  it  he  was  in  their  midst  with  his  little 
army,  had  captured  their  cannon,  and  was  cutting, 
shooting,  slashing  and  killing  them  so  fast  that  they 
were  glad  to  hoist  the  white  flag  and  surrender 
before  the  fight  had  fairly  commenced. 

Cortez  accepted  their  surrender  and  then  par- 
doned all  of  them,  and  with  great  promises  of  gold 
and  spoil  enlisted  all  of  them  in  his  service  and 
marched  back  to  the  capital  at  the  head  of  an  army 
of  nearly  fourteen  hundred  good  soldiers,  from 
whence  he  had  marched  away  a  few  days  previous 
with  about  two  hundred.  He  afterwards  captured 

362 


MR.    CORTEZ 

two  or  three  ships  with  men  and  supplies  and  ammu- 
nition sent  to  reinforce  the  army  that  had  been  sent 
to  capture  him. 

But  his  troubles  were  not  yet  over.  The  Mexi- 
cans were  not  satisfied  with  his  presence  in  the  capi- 
tal and  fell  upon  him  by  thousands  end  even  tens  of 
thousands,  slaughtering  many  of  his  men  and  driving 
him  and  his  followers  out  of  the  city. 

This  was  the  only  time  that  Gortez  ever  seems 
to  have  been  discouraged.  The  natives  killed  so 
many  of  his  men  at  one  place  in  the  city  that  a  church 
was  built  there  afterwards,  and  it  stands  there  to- 
day, with  an  inscription  on  a  large  tablet,  setting 
forth  the  disaster. 

Retiring  beyond  the  limits  of  the  city,  he  sat 
down  beneath  the  branches  of  a  large  tree  and  wept. 
There  he  was,  thousands  of  miles  from  home,  after 
all  his  toil,  war  and  bloodshed,  broken  and  dis- 
couraged, the  worst  whipped  soldier  of  all  ages; 
many  of  his  men  killed  and  their  dead  bodies  scat- 
tered along  the  line  of  retreat,  and  what  was  worse, 
some  left  alive  for  sacrifice  on  the  pagan  altars. 

He  had  lost  every  cannon,  all  arms  and  ammuni- 
tion, and  every  advantage  of  war.  He  had  no  place 
to  go  and  was  in  a  most  pitiable  condition. 

The  tree  stands  there  to-day,  surrounded  by  an 

353 


MEXICO   THE  WONDERFUL 

iron  fence,  to  preserve  it  as  a  valuable  historic  relic. 
It  is  called  the  tree  of  "La  Noche  Triste,"  meaning 
the  tree  of  the  dismal  night. 

It  is  a  ragged  old  snarled  cypress,  the  center 
decayed  and  all  gone,  having  suffered  recently  from 
a  fire  which  was  lighted  in  it.  It  is  ten  to  fifteen  feet 
in  diameter,  and  where  the  heart  was  is  a  cavity  big 
enough  to  house  a  family  of  bears.  I  think,  though, 
where  Cortez'  heart  was  supposed  to  be  there  was 
also  a  very  large  cavity,  so  it  seems  fitting  that  the 
tree  which  recalls  him  to  mind  should  be  in  this  con- 
dition at  this  time. 

I  rested  beneath  the  branches  of  the  old  tree  and 
meditated  on  its  age  and  the  scenes  it  commemorated. 
Then  I  sat  down  where  Cortez  did,  and  wept  as  loud 
as  Cortez  wept  four  hundred  years  ago,  but  before  I 
had  ended  the  caretaker  of  the  park  which  adjoins 
came  over  to  see  what  was  disturbing  the  peace,  so  I 
had  to  break  off  my  lamentations  in  the  middle. 

But  Cortez  wept  and  with  no  one  to  stop  him, 
but  with  many  to  join  him  in  weeping.  His  tears 
rolled  down  his  cheeks  and  fell  to  the  ground,  but 
those  tears  watered  a  new  resolve,  and  that  resolve 
grew  with  the  water  so  copiously  shed  with  almost 
as  much  alacrity  as  did  grow  the  fabled  bean  pole 

364 


MR.     CORTEZ 

which  was  planted  by  Jack  the  Giant  Killer  in  the 
days  of  myth  so  long  ago. 

That  resolve  which  Cortez  formed  under  such 
discouraging  circumstances  was  that  he  would  return 
and  retake  the  great  Aztec  capital.  But  his  troubles 
of  retreat  were  not  yet  over,  for  he  could  not  find  a 
place  for  his  battered  army  to  spend  the  night  in 
sleep  until  he  had  fought  the  natives  for  the  posses- 
sion of  the  only  available  locality. 

Even  then  his  retreat  was  liable  to  end  with 
complete  annihilation,  for  between  him  and  the  capi- 
tal of  the  only  friendly  Indian  nation  which  he  knew 
was  another  army  of  one  hundred  thousand  or  more 
savages  to  intercept  him.  He  was  compelled  to  fight 
his  way  through  this  great  number  with  only  the 
most  primitive  arms,  being  practically  no  better 
armed  than  the  savages  themselves. 

But  he  had  resolved  to  retake  the  Aztec  capital 
and  he  was  determined  to  do  so.  In  order  to  do 
this,  he  had  first  to  capture  three  or  four  more  ship 
loads  of  Spanish  soldiers  and  sailors,  who  were 
armed  and  equipped  for  his  own  destruction,  which 
he  did  promptly  on  their  arrival.  Then  he  had  to 
subdue  all  the  nations  and  cities  around  the  capital, 
make  of  all  his  enemies  reliable  friends,  organize 

365 


MEXICO    THE    WONDERFUL 

them  into  a  vast  army  and  eradicate  all  kinds  of 
prejudices  and  factional  differences  among  them. 

In  order  to  subdue  one  nation  which  had  slain 
some  of  his  men,  he  made  war  upon  them,  defeated 
them,  captured  them,  and  branded  all  of  the  men 
with  hot  irons  and  distributed  them  as  slaves  among 
his  Indian  allies. 

Then  he  had  to  cut  off  supplies  from  the  capi- 
tal, dig  canals  through  the  marshes,  build  bridges 
over  streams  and  canals  and  do  a  thousand  other 
seemingly  impossible  things,  besides  finally  fighting 
a  well  entrenched  army  of  savage  warriors  who  had 
never  been  conquered,  and  whose  numbers  were  be- 
yond computation. 

When  he  was  finally  prepared  to  retake  the 
Aztec  capital,  he  found  that  all  of  the  roads  and 
bridges  across  the  lakes  leading  to  the  city  had  been 
destroyed,  so  he  constructed  a  fleet  of  brigantines 
or  ships  and  transported  his  army  across  the  great 
lake  to  the  margin  of  the  city.  In  order  to  do  this 
he  had  to  construct  the  ships  on  dry  land  at  Tlax- 
cala,  sixty  miles  from  the  lake,  take  them  to  pieces, 
and  with  the  aid  of  Indians  who  carried  them  on 
their  backs,  transport  them  in  pieces  sixty  miles 
over  the  mountains  to  where  they  were  embarked. 

They  then  had  to  dig  a  canal  through  the  low- 
see 


MR.    CORTEZ 

lands  in  which  to  float  his  ships  into  the  lake.  In 
the  end  he  had  a  fleet  of  thirteen  boats  so  built  and 
transported. 

Then  he,  with  his  Indian  allies,  commenced  a 
siege  of  the  city.  Before  getting  to  the  city  he  met 
an  army  estimated  at  two  hundred  thousand  and 
defeated  them  and  in  the  battle  there  were  twenty 
thousand  of  the  natives  slain.  Then  he  made  war, 
which  lasted  several  months,  upon  the  city,  which 
finally  surrendered.  But  not  until  the  dead  in  the 
streets  had  reached  the  great  number  of  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  thousand  to  two  hundred  and  forty 
thousand.  In  the  siege  he  destroyed  the  great  tem- 
ples and  spent  many  days  in  leveling  the  city  as  he 
closed  in  upon  it.  The  Aztecs  finally  surrendered 
after  three-fourths  of  the  city  had  been  completely 
destroyed,  the  balance  on  fire,  and  the  greater  part 
of  the  people  dead,  with  the  promise  that  the  living 
should  be  allowed  to  go  out  unmolested,  and  so  they 
went  out,  leaving  the  dead  behind. 

As  they  marched  out,  the  glorious  Aztec  regime 
that  had  dazzled  and  bewildered  the  western  world 
for  many  years  was  closed  forever  and  the  reign  of 
the  Montezumas  was  at  an  end. 

Pagan  worship  was  supplanted  by  the  religion 
of  the  cross,  and  the  people,  by  Cortez'  command 

367 


MEXICO    THE    WONDERFUL 

and  under  compulsion,  were  baptized  by  the  thou- 
sands and  by  the  tens  of  thousands.  And  this  was 
the  first  step  toward  establishing  tho  Christian  reli- 
gion in  America. 

Then  Cortez  took  the  princes  and  the  great  men 
that  were  left  and  tied  them  on  stones  and  burned 
their  feet  off  up  to  their  knees  to  make  them  dis- 
close the  hiding  places  of  their  treasures,  and  he 
also  sent  emissaries  to  all  parts  of  the  empire  to 
gather  gifts  for  himself,  his  soldiers  and  the  king 
of  Spain.  And  they  collected  gold  nuggets  from  the 
mines,  and  gold  bars  and  all  kinds  of  gold  plates 
and  artificial  birds  and  other  articles  made  of  pure 
gold. 

Such  wealth  had  hardly  ever  been  seen  before 
in  the  world's  entire  history,  and  it  was  all  stolen 
or  absorbed  by  and  for  the  Spaniards  and  for  the 
king  of  Spain. 

As  the  result  of  this  one  man's  iron  will,  and  as 
the  only  choice  left  after  a  war  of  almost  entire 
extermination,  the  people  of  Mexico  had  exchanged 
their  allegiance  from  Montezuma  to  the  crown  of 
Spain.  It  was  some  improvement  in  some  ways, 
perhaps,  but  it  was  destined  to  be  bad  enough  for 
the  next  three  hundred  years,  until  the  yoke  was 
finally  thrown  off  and  Mexican  independence  was 

368 


MR.    CORTEZ 

secured  after  much  travail  and  long  suffering,  when 
Mexico  became  one  of  the  independent  nations  of 
the  earth. 

After  the  surrender  of  the  great  Aztec  capital 
Cortez  made  many  other  voyages  of  discovery  and 
conquest  and  had  many  other  adventures.  Each 
occasion  in  itself  was  great  enough  to  be  an  epoch 
in  any  ordinary  life,  but  for  Cortez  they  were  small 
affairs  compared  with  what  he  had  passed  through. 

He  had  several  wives  and  other  domestic  trou- 
bles. He  was  indicted  for  murdering  one  wife  and 
threatened  to  kill  alll  accusers.  He  then  had  no 
accusers  and  was  never  tried.  He  returned  to  Spain, 
where  he  died,  somewhat  neglected,  as  he  was  at 
that  time  out  of  favor  with  the  crown.  And  so 
ended  the  life  of  the  greatest  character  the  western 
world  has  ever  known. 


369 
—24 


The  Twenty-third  Letter* 


MUCH    TURMOIL. 

It  is  unfortunate  that  every  nation  that  achieves 
independence  seems  first  to  have  to  undergo  a  long 
siege  of  anarchy  and  bloodshed  before  its  aim  is 
finally  reached.  Mexico  is  no  exception  to  this  rule. 
The  first  call  to  arms  for  independence  from  Span- 
ish rule  was  in  1810,  when  fighting  commenced,  and 
from  that  time  until  about  the  year  1875  to  1880 
there  was  almost  continuous  warfare.  The  best 
blood  of  Mexico  was  sacrificed,  either  in  battle  or 
by  numerous  executions  of  defeated  patriots.  Inde- 
pendence was  declared  in  1813,  and  between  that 
time  and  1868,  only  fifty-five  years,  Mexico  had  ten 
different  forms  of  government,  more  than  fifty  presi- 
dents or  dictators,  and  two  emperors.  The  first 
constitution  was  adopted  in  1857,  but  was  remod- 
eled and  amended  in  1873  and  1874,  and  violated 
almost  every  day  and  year  between.  Diaz  is  the 
only  ruler  who  has  succeeded  in  maintaining  peace 

370 


MIGUEL    HIDALGO 

for  any  considerable  length  of  time,  and  when  he 
passes  away  the  old  scenes  may  be  re-enacted, 
although  it  is  to  be  hoped  not. 

MIGUEL    HIDALGO. 

Everything  has  to  have  a  beginning,  and  so  had 
the  movement  for  independence  in  Mexico.  So  after 
three  hundred  years  of  Spanish  misrule  and  oppres- 
sion, the  first  blow  for  the  independence  of  Mexico 
was  struck  by  Father  Hidalgo,  when  he  went  to  his 
little  church  in  Dolores  at  11:40  at  night  on  the 
15th  of  September,  1810,  and  sounded  the  tocsin  of 
liberty  by  the  ringing  of  the  bell  of  his  church. 

Had  he  known  at  that  time  what  trials  and 
tribulations  Mexico  would  go  through  before  inde- 
pendence was  finally  established,  he  might  have  hesi- 
tated a  long  while  and  perhaps  changed  hia  mind 
entirely,  before  compelling  the  bell  to  ring  out 
defiance  to  the  crown  of  Spain.  The  old  regime 
might  have  continued  many  years  without  inter- 
ruption, and  the  war  for  independence  never  have 
taken  place. 

But  the  future  of  such  movements  always  looks 
bright  to  the  over  zealous  patriotic  heart,  and  so  it 
was  at  this  time  when  Father  Hidalgo  rang  the  bell 

371 


MEXICO   THE   WONDERFUL 

and  then  read  his  declaration  of  independence,  com- 
monly called  in  Spanish  the  "Grito  de  Dolores." 

Miguel  Hidalgo  at  that  time  was  the  parish 
priest  of  the  church  at  Dolores,  and  started  his  rebel- 
lion with  ten  armed  men,  who  were  augmented  by 
the  prisoners  in  the  jail  whom  he  released  and  armed 
for  war.  With  this  little  army  he  started  for  the 
capital,  and  by  the  time  he  reached  Guanajuato  he 
had  an  army  of  fifty  thousand  men.  He  captured 
that  city,  established  a  cannon  factory,  and  by  the 
time  he  reached  the  environs  of  Mexico  City  his 
army  had  increased  to  eighty  thousand.  But  they 
were  a  "ragtag"  and  "bobtail"  army,  poorly  armed, 
poorly  equipped  and  poorly  disciplined,  and  bent 
more  upon  plunder  and  spoil  than  upon  liberty  or 
independence. 

After  several  battles  he  concluded  not  to  attack 
the  city,  as  it  seemed  too  much  of  an  undertaking  for 
him.  He  took  possession  of  Guadalajara,  organized 
the  new  government,  but  his  army  that  now 
amounted  to  one  hundred  thousand  was  routed  by 
a  well  disciplined  Spanish  army  of  six  thousand 
men.  He  was  captured  and  was  executed  at  Chi- 
huahua on  the  30th  day  of  July,  1811,  and  the 
national  flag  of  Mexico  is  displayed  at  half  mast  on 
this  day  each  year  in  honor  of  his  memory. 

372 


MORELOS 

A  beautiful  statue  on  a  tall  monument  in  Chi- 
huahua stands  to  his  glory  today.  His  head  was  dis- 
played upon  a  spear  at  Guanajuato  as  a  warning  to 
all  patriots,  but  it  is  an  old  proverb  that  the  blood 
of  martyrs  cries  from  the  ground,  and  Spain  found 
there  were  many  more  to  follow  in  Father  Hidalgo's 
footsteps.  And  many  more  did  walk  the  same  path 
that  led  to  glory  and  to  death. 

MORELOS. 

Among  the  patriots  of  Mexico  who  followed 
in  the  footsteps  of  Hidalgo  and  who  sacrificed  them- 
selves for  independence  there  is  none  that  did  more 
for  the  cause  and  who  is  deserving  of  more  honor 
than  Jose  Maria  Morelos. 

He  was  a  mule  driver  in  his  earlier  years  and 
studied  for  the  priesthood  at  his  own  expense  under 
the  patriot  Hidalgo  before  the  insurrection.  When 
that  brave  heart  took  up  arms  for  liberty  Morelos 
asked  the  privilege  of  joining  the  cause  and  organ- 
ized a  great  army  and  fought  a  number  of  successful 
battles  and  won  nearly  all  the  southern  part  of 
Mexico  to  the  cause  of  independence.  He  kept  up 
the  fight  long  after  his  old  preceptor  had  been  exe- 
cuted. He  kept  the  war  going  for  five  years,  and 

373 


MEXICO  THE  WONDERFUL 
when  he  was  finally  captured  and  condemned  to 
death,  they  removed  him  to  another  town  outside 
the  capital,  as  they  feared  the  execution  of  so  brave 
a  warrior  in  the  City  of  Mexico  would  cause  a  popu- 
lar uprising. 

He  refused  to  escape  from  prison  when  he  might 
have  done  so,  as  he  did  not  wish  his  friends  who 
would  assist  him  to  suffer  the  consequences  of  his 
escape. 

He  went  to  his  death  as  a  brave  man,  and  with 
his  own  hands  bound  a  handkerchief  over  his  eyes 
as  ordered,  and  was  shot. 

In  after  years  his  body  was  removed  and  now 
rests  beside  that  of  his  old  friend  and  tutor,  Hidalgo, 
in  the  great  cathedral.  The  town  where  he  was 
born  was  renamed  for  him,  a  new  state  was 
formed  and  named  Morelos  in  his  honor,  and  the 
cause  for  which  he  died  was  successful  soon  after 
his  death. 

JUAREZ. 

One  of  the  strongest,  if  not  really  the  greatest 
character  of  modern  Mexican  history,  was  Benito 
Pablo  Juarez,  a  pure  bred  Indian.  Left  an  orphan 
at  the  age  of  four  years,  he  became  one  of  Mexico's 
greatest  heroes  and  was  the  president  who,  with  the 
assistance  of  Diaz,  defeated  Maximilian,  the  em- 

374 


JUAREZ 

peror,  executed  him  and  his  generals  and  restored 
the  republic,  and  has  been  designated  the  "George 
Washington"  of  Mexico. 

By  his  own  exertions  he  secured  a  good  educa- 
tion and  became  a  college  professor  and  afterwards 
a  lawyer.  He  was  an  alderman,  a  judge,  a  member 
of  the  house  of  deputies,  and  was  imprisoned  while  a 
young  man  for  creating  an  incipient  rebellion.  He 
became  governor  of  his  state  and  opposed  the  inva- 
sion by  the  United  States. 

He  was  cast  into  prison  by  Santa  Anna  and  then 
exported  to  the  United  States,  where  he  lived  as  a 
very  poor  man  for  two  years.  He  then  returned  to 
his  native  land,  engaged  in  a  rebellion,  won  out  and 
was  appointed  minister  of  justice.  He  went  through 
all  the  stormy  times  of  Mexico,  holding  many  im- 
portant positions,  and  got  into  prison  on  several 
occasions. 

He  declared  himself  president  at  Guanajuato, 
but  owing  to  internal  disorder  carried  the  govern- 
ment with  him  to  Guadalajara,  Colonii,  then  to  New 
Orleans  and  then  back  to  Vera  Cruz,  where  it  was 
recognized  for  the  first  time  by  the  United  States, 
and  then  he  got  the  government  back  to  Mexico  City 
in  January,  1861. 

He  was  president  in  April,  1862,  when  France 

375 


MEXICO    THE    WONDERFUL 

declared  war  against  Mexico  and  started  the  move- 
ment that  landed  Maximilian  on  the  throne.  After 
one  or  two  battles  Juarez  moved  his  government  to 
San  Luis  Potosi,  then  to  Saltillo,  then  to  Monterey, 
and  then  through  several  other  towns  to  Chihuahua 
and  then  over  to  El  Paso,  in  Texas. 

It  was  a  sort  of  a  government  on  wheels  or  in 
the  saddle.  He  lugged  the  government  around  sev- 
eral places  while  Maximilian  was  emperor,  and 
finally  turned  up  with  it  at  Vera  Cruz  when  France 
withdrew  its  support  from  the  emperor.  Juarez 
then  started  to  move  towards  the  capital  and  it  was 
time  for  Maximilian  to  put  his  government  on 
wheels  and  start  with  it,  which  he  did  finally,  land- 
ing at  Queretaro,  where  he  was  captured  and  where 
his  execution  took  place. 

Juarez  then  overthrew  the  church  power,  made 
a  complete  separation  of  church  and  state,  and  con- 
fiscated an  amount  of  church  property  valued  at 
from  two  hundred  million  to  three  hundred  million 
dollars. 

He  died  at  the  age  of  64  years,  worn  out  with 
war  and  turmoil.  He  was  buried  in  great  state  in 
the  cemetery  of  San  Fernando,  in  the  City  of 
Mexico. 

This  is  a  little  burial  lot  in  the  center  of  the 

376 


JUAREZ 

city  adjoining  the  church  of  that  name.  The 
church  was  nearly  thrown  down  by  an  earthquake 
several  years  ago.  It  leans  much  out  of  perpen- 
dicular and  the  walls  have  heavy  arches  of  brick 
thrown  up  against  them  to  sustain  them. 

The  little  graveyard  is  overcrowded  with  illus- 
trious dead  and  with  old  crypts  filled  with  corpses 
shoved  in  side  by  side,  each  one  being  allowed  about 
two  feet  square  of  space  reaching  six  feet  into  the 
structure  and  labeled  on  the  outside  like  the  cases 
in  a  docket  file  in  a  court  clerk's  office. 

The  tomb  of  Juarez  is  a  sort  of  mausoleum,  the 
roof  being  supported  by  a  number  of  Corinthian 
columns  made  of  marble,  the  space  between  the 
columns  being  closed  by  iron  railings.  The  monu- 
ment within  the  edifice  has  a  heroic  size  figure  of  the 
illustrious  president  in  a  recumbent  position,  with 
his  head  supported  by  a  female  figure.  It  is  sup- 
posed to  represent  Mexico  supporting  the  dying 
president.  It  is  the  work  of  two  brothers,  sculptors, 
who  are  residents  of  Mexico  City,  and  the  whole  com- 
poses a  magnificent  tribute  to  the  old  soldier  states- 
man. 

Only  a  short  distance  removed  from  the  tomb 
of  Juarez  are  the  graves  of  Miramon  and  Mejia,  the 
two  generals  who  were  executed  with  Maximilian, 

377 


MEXICO    THE    WONDERFUL 

under  the  administration  of  Juarez,  and  a  little  to 
the  east  of  these  is  the  grave  of  the  judge  before 
whom  they  were  tried.  Here  is  presented  another 
case  which  seems  a  peculiarity  of  this  country,  the 
bodies  of  men  who  led  opposing  forces  in  life  so 
close  to  each  other  and  resting  so  peacefully  in 
death,  and  further  the  respect  paid  by  all  to  the 
memory  of  those  who  died  in  what  seemed  to  each 
the  path  of  duty. 

I  stood  among  these  tombs  where  it  was  only  a 
step  from  the  judge  to  the  condemned  and  from  the 
conqueror  to  the  defeated,  and  thought  how  wars 
were  waged  between  them  in  life  and  of  the  crimina- 
tions and  recriminations  and  how  they  fought  amid 
the  rain  of  bullets  and  roar  of  cannon.  Then  as  I 
thought  how  peacefully  and  quietly  they  rested  here 
together  awaiting  the  time  when  all  should  be  judged 
by  Him  who  judges  all,  I  was  impressed  with  the  cer- 
tainty of  how  completely  death  ends  the  warfare  of 
each  and  every  individual,  and  how  surely  the  end  of 
life  ends  all  personal  animosities  between  even  the 
most  bitter  enemies. 

NAPOLEON'S    DREAM. 

That  which  constituted  Napoleon's  roseate 
dream  became  Maximilian's  hideous  nightmare.  But 

378 


NAPOLEON'S    DREAM 

it  ended  with  a  glorious  sunrise  for  Mexico.  In  1863 
Mexico  was  torn  with  disorders.  Prior  to  that  time 
the  government  had  defaulted  on  certain  bonds  due 
the  Shylocks  of  France,  England  and  Spain,  and 
under  the  guise  of  protecting  their  capitalists,  these 
three  nations  organized  a  triumvirate  to  take  charge 
of  the  financial  affairs  of  Mexico. 

Napoleon  III,  then  emperor  of  France,  sent  a 
large  number  of  troops  to  enforce  demands.  The 
three  countries  agreed  that  Napoleon  could  offer  the 
crown  of  Mexico  to  Maximilian,  an  Austrian  prince, 
and  France  agreed  to  support  him  in  establishing  the 
empire. 

Napoleon  had  overthrown  the  republic  of  France 
and  had  established  an  empire  there.  The  United 
States,  the  greatest  experiment  in  self-government 
the  world  had  ever  tried,  was  rent  asunder  by  the 
rebellion  and  Napoleon  seemed  to  have  had  a  dream. 

In  his  dream  he  saw  the  government  of  the 
United  States  passing  away.  He  saw  a  gorgeous 
empire  growing  up  under  his  protection  in  Mexico. 
He  heard  the  people  of  the  southern  states  of  America 
crying  to  him  for  help.  He  saw  in  his  dream  another 
empire  covering  the  southern  states  of  America.  He 
saw  in  his  dream  internal  disorders  in  the  northern 

379 


MEXICO    THE    WONDERFUL 

states,  and  a  settlement  of  all  the  difficulty  by  the 
establishment  of  another  empire  or  perhaps  the 
absorption  of  all  the  western  empires  into  one.  He 
saw  the  elimination  of  all  the  republics  and  of  all  the 
democratic  forms  of  government  from  the  face  of  the 
earth,  and  the  dream,  like  all  bright  hallucinations, 
was  so  clothed  in  possibilities,  plausibilities  and 
glamour  that  it  made  him  believe  that  it  might  come 
true. 

And  he  related  the  dream  as  though  it  was  a 
reality  to  Maximilian  and  Carlotta,  and  they  thought 
it  was  all  to  come  to  pass,  and  Maximilian  accepted 
his  offer  to  become  the  first  emperor  and  Carlotta  to 
be  the  first  empress  in  the  realization  of  the  dream, 
and  they  came  in  glory  and  magnificence  to  be  the 
stars  in  the  golden  drama. 

Maximilian  proposed  to  supplant  the  plain, 
every-day  affairs  of  the  republic  with  the  gorgeous- 
ness  that  existed  in  the  days  of  the  Montezumas.  He 
thought  he  was  making  an  advance  in  matters  of 
state,  but  his  face  was  turned  the  wrong  way.  He 
didn't  know  it,  but  he  was  walking  backward  into  a 
trap  of  death. 

The  story  is  long  or  short,  as  you  may  wish  to 
make  it.  I  will  make  it  short.  In  a  trice  the  war  of 

380 


NAPOLEON'S    DREAM 

the  rebellion  was  over ;  the  union  of  states  was  more 
strongly  cemented  than  ever,  and  the  United  States 
was  still  a  republic  and  the  greatest  nation  of  the 
earth. 

The  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  passed  down 
Pennsylvania  avenue  in  Washington  in  final  review 
before  the  world's  greatest  statesman,  Abraham  Lin- 
coln, and  the  soldiers  were  ready  to  be  mustered  out 
and  return  to  their  homes  and  their  peaceful  avoca- 
tions. 

And  thousands  upon  thousands  were  so  dis- 
banded, but  there  were  a  quarter  of  a  million  kept 
under  arms,  while  our  Secretary  of  State,  Mr. 
Seward,  informed  Napoleon  that  the  United  States 
could  not  tolerate  an  empire  on  the  western  hemi- 
sphere supported  by  a  European  army.  Then  Napo- 
leon withdrew  his  troops  and  the  dream  was  over. 
There  was  an  awakening.  The  empire  collapsed. 
Maximilian  was  captured,  executed  between  two  of 
his  bravest  generals,  and  Mexico  was  itself  again. 

In  a  few  years  more  the  hosts  of  Germany 
marched  through  France,  battered  down  the  defenses 
and  took  possession  of  Paris  and  humbled  France. 
The  last  of  the  Napoleons  was  dethroned.  The 
bloody  commune  followed,  and  out  of  all  the  wreck 

381 


MEXICO    THE    WONDERFUL 

and  ruin  came  another  great  republic,  the  Republic 
of  France,  to  bless  the  people  and  help  along  the 
cause  of  popular  government  which  must  eventually 
spread  over  all  the  earth  and  in  time  govern  all  the 
people  thereof. 


382 


The  Twenty-fourth  Letter* 


PRESIDENT    DIAZ. 

Porfirio  Diaz,  the  illustrious  president  of  the 
Republic  of  Mexico,  was  born  at  Oaxaca,  the  15th  of 
September,  1830.  He  is  of  Indian  blood,  with  a 
small  strain  of  Spanish  blood  intermingled  there- 
with. 

He  is  now  76  years  of  age,  and  the  question  as 
to  how  Mexico  will  be  able  to  get  along  without 
Diaz  will,  in  the  natural  course  of  events,  soon  have 
to  be  answered.  He  enlisted  in  the  army  at  the  age 
of  seventeen,  and  opposed  the  American  invasion  of 
1847,  but  the  war  was  over  before  he  was  able  to 
take  much  or  any  part  therein. 

Since  that  time  Diaz  has  led  an  active  and  war- 
like life.  He  has  been  connected  with  all  the  revo- 
lutions, on  one  side  or  the  other,  held  most  all  posi- 
tions within  the  province  of  government;  was  forced 
on  more  than  one  occasion  to  flee  the  country  and  to 
reside  for  a  time  in  New  Orleans  and  other  places  in 

383 


MEXICO  THE  WONDERFUL 

the  south;  was  several  times  arrested  and  made  his 
escape. 

He  kept  up  a  continual  warfare  during  almost 
the  entire  time  that  Maximilian  was  emperor  and 
kept  the  republican  cause  alive  during  that  discour- 
aging season.  On  one  occasion  he  took  five  hundred 
Austrian  soldiers  of  the  Imperial  army  prisoners.  In 
1867,  on  the  withdrawal  of  the  French  troops,  he 
largely  increased  his  own  army  and  with  other 
generals  fought  the  imperial  army  and  captured 
Puebla  after  a  bloody  assault.  He  defeated  the 
imperial  army  also  at  San  Lorenzo  and  laid  siege  to 
the  City  of  Mexico.  He  drove  Maximilian  out  of 
Mexico  City  to  make  his  last  stand  and  meet  his  fate 
at  Queretaro,  and  captured  the  city  June  1,  1867. 

In  October  following  he  was  a  candidate  for 
president  against  the  great  soldier  and  statesman, 
Juarez,  who  had  formerly  been  his  teacher  when 
Diaz  was  a  boy.  Being  defeated  by  Juarez,  he 
headed  a  revolution  which  he  formed  against  that 
statesman  and  started  another  march  on  Mexico  City. 
After  fighting  a  number  of  battles,  he  found  it  judi- 
cious to  reside  outside  of  Mexico,  which  he  left  by 
way  of  Metamoras  and  Brownsville,  Texas. 

In  the  meantime  his  old  teacher,  Juarez,  died 
and  a  decree  of  amnesty  was  issued,  under  which 

384 


PRESIDENT    DIAZ 

Diaz  again  returned  to  his  country.  In  1876  he 
organized  another  revolution  and  was  again  com- 
pelled to  take  refuge  in  New  Orleans,  where  he  re- 
mained until  he  received  a  call  from  his  old  state  of 
Oaxaca,  the  center  of  another  revolution,  to  return. 

On  the  voyage  to  Vera  Cruz,  thinking  that  he 
had  been  discovered,  he  jumped  overboard  in  the 
gulf  and  likely  would  have  been  drowned,  but  was 
picked  up  by  a  boat  and  taken  back  to  the  steamer. 
At  Vera  Cruz,  while  his  enemies  were  looking  for 
him,  he  took  the  position  of  a  coal  heaver  and! 
escaped  the  vigilance  of  the  officers  and  got  back 
again  and  into  the  middle  of  the  revolution  at 
Oaxaca. 

He  defeated  the  government  forces  in  1876  and 
again  entered  the  capital  of  the  republic,  while  the 
president,  who  opposed  him,  took  flight  to  the  United 
States.  He  declared  himself  president,  in  which 
capacity  he  fought  a  number  of  other  revolutionists 
and  defeated  them.  For  a  short  time  he  was  one 
of  the  four  presidents  which  Mexico  had  at  one 
time. 

After  such  a  long,  stormy  and  tempestuous  time 
Diaz  was  regularly  elected  president  on  the  5th  day 
of  May,  1877,  and  his  government  was  officially 
recognized  by  the  United  States  in  1878.  After 

385 

—25 


MEXICO  THE  WONDERFUL 

serving  one  term  he  was  succeeded  by  President 
Gonzalez,  as  the  constitution  at  that  time  provided 
that  no  person  should  succeed  himself  as  president. 

In  the  meantime  he  came  to  the  United  States, 
as  far  north  as  Boston,  Mass.,  receiving  great  atten- 
tion from  our  people. 

He  was  re-elected  president  in  1884.  The  con- 
stitution was  changed  so  he  could  succeed  himself 
and  he  has  been  regularly  elected  every  four  years 
since  that  time. 

Under  his  administration  railroad  building  and 
other  enterprises  have  been  fostered  and  he  has  been 
successful  in  subduing  all  revolutions,  and  for  the 
first  time  in  many  years  there  has  been  a  consider- 
able period  of  continued  peace  in  Mexico. 

There  has  been  more  progress  and  development 
in  Mexico  under  his  administration  than  in  any 
equal  period  of  time  in  the  entire  existence  of  the 
republic.  He  is  a  man  of  great  executive  ability, 
with  a  wonderful  degree  of  force,  coupled  with 
much  tact  and  clever  policy.  He  has  maintained  the 
separation  of  church  and  state  inaugurated  by 
Juarez,  and  has  been  wonderfully  successful  in  guid- 
ing the  ship  of  state  smoothly  through  a  tortuous 
path,  beset  with  obstructions  and  obstacles,  and  is 

386 


PRESIDENT    DIAZ 

entitled  to  be  counted  one  of  the  greatest  men  of 
modern  times. 

Diaz  is  not  the  loved  idol  receiving  the  admira- 
tion of  all  classes,  as  some  people  are  led  to  believe. 
I  think  he  is  feared  by  some  and  respected  by  all, 
and  is  supported  as  representing  the  unity  of  govern- 
ment and  the  exemplification  of  peace,  and  is  a  man 
who  is  prepared  to  maintain  the  peace  he  has  fought 
for  or  fight  for  peace  again. 

He  has,  however,  a  hard  row  to  hoe  between 
the  various  elements  that  combine  to  make  up  this 
curious  republic,  many  of  whom  are  ignorant  and 
all  of  whom  are  excitable  and  emotional. 

Every  government  has  to  contend  with  the 
various  degrees  of  citizenship — from  those  who  be- 
lieve in  an  absolute  monarchy  or  aristocracy  that 
would  make  laws  compelling  the  many  to  contribute 
to  the  support  of  the  few,  to  the  other  extreme  that 
would  all  be  brigands,  that  would  rob  and  plunder 
the  rich  for  the  benefit  of  themselves,  whom  they 
delight  in  believing  are  the  poor. 

In  no  country  on  the  face  of  the  earth  are  these 
elements  more  in  evidence  than  in  the  Republic  of 
Mexico.  A  peaceful  administration  of  the  affairs 
of  such  a  government  calls  for  statesmanship  of  the 

387 


MEXICO   THE   WONDERFUL 

very  highest  order,  and  this  has  been  exemplified  by 
Diaz. 

Once  upon  a  time,  with  a  crowd  of  newspaper 
men,  I  called  upon  Diaz.  We  all  walked  by  him 
and  gave  him  a  warm  grasp  of  the  hand  and  then  he 
made  us  a  little  speech  in  Spanish  which  was  re- 
peated by  his  interpreter,  in  which  he  said  he  had 
faced  many  a  cannon  on  the  battle  field,  but  he 
would  rather  war  with  men  who  operated  guns  than 
those  who  controlled  newspapers,  etc.,  etc. 

I  handed  him  a  fifteen-cent  badge  of  our  asso- 
ciation which  he  accepted  with  thanks,  and  for  the 
time  being  we  were  all  happy. 

But  the  next  day  the  leading  political  paper  of 
the  capital,  printed  in  Spanish,  criticized  the  presi- 
dent severely  for  receiving  and  entertaining  a  band 
of  American  heretics. 

Having  been  in  the  newspaper  business  and 
somewhat  in  politics  for  many  years,  I  had  been 
accused  of  most  everything  except  being  a  heretic, 
and  now  to  be  so  accused  was  beyond  the  limit,  and 
I  felt  deeply  wounded  in  my  heart. 

My  memory  went  back  to  the  days  when  I  used 
to  get  a  red  ticket  for  repeating  a  verse  of  Scripture 
in  Sunday  school,  and  a  blue  ticket  for  bringing  a 
ragged  heathen  into  the  blessed  sanctuary,  and  how 

388 


PRESIDENT    DIAZ 

I  used  to  sing,  "I  want  to  be  an  angel."  Then  I 
thought  of  how  I  had  been  running  a  strictly  re- 
ligious paper,  or  a  democratic  paper,  which  is  the 
same  thing,  all  these  years  and  was  once  exalted 
ruler  of  the  Elks  and  then  to  be  called  a  heretic  in 
a  language  in  which  I  could  not  make  my  answer 
was  altogether  too  much. 

THE    LIBERTY    BELL    OF    MEXICO. 

Before  leaving  the  city  we  took  a  last  look  at 
the  liberty  bell  of  Mexico.  On  our  first  visit  to  the 
national  palace  we  had  noticed  a  bell  suspended  over 
the  main  entrance,  but  we  did  not  know  its  history 
at  that  time. 

We  afterwards  found  that  this  was  almost  a 
sacred  relic  of  this  republic,  and  that  the  16th  day  of 
September  of  each  year  is  independence  day,  some- 
thing like  our  Fourth  of  July.  On  that  day  the 
declaration  of  independence  is  read,  being  the  docu- 
ment written  by  Father  Hidalgo  in  1810,  and  this 
bell  is  rung  on  these  occasions,  and  it  is  intimately 
connected  with  that  celebrated  manifesto. 

The  bell  is  about  the  size,  or  perhaps  not  quite 
so  large,  as  the  Liberty  bell  in  Independence  hall  in 
Philadelphia.  It  formerly  hung  in  a  little  church 
in  Dolores  and  was  rung  by  Father  Hidalgo  in 
September,  1810,  in  the  hours  of  the  night,  to  call 

389 


MEXICO    THE    WONDERFUL 

the  people  together  to  strike  for  the  independence 
of  Mexico.  When  the  people  gathered  Father 
Hidalgo  read  his  declaration  alluded  to  above  and 
the  war  for  independence  commenced. 

This  bell  remained  in  the  Dolores  church  until 
1896,  when  peace  rested  over  all  the  republic.  It 
was  then  brought  to  Mexico  City. 

Hie  bell  was  escorted  through  the  streets  on  a 
wagon  ornamented  with  gold  and  flowers.  It  was 
conveyed  with  glory  in  the  midst  of  a  great  proces- 
sion. The  wagon  also  bore  a  cannon  made  by 
Hidalgo  on  which  was  cast  an  inscription  in  Span- 
ish, "For  the  defense  of  the  faith  and  the  purity  of 
Holy  Mary." 

There  were  other  relics  of  the  wars  for  inde- 
pendence that  came  with  the  old  bell.  There  were 
broken  swords  and  rusty  guns  and  bridle  bits  and 
bayonets  and  cannon  wheels,  and  there  were  old  bat- 
tered bugles  that  had  ordered  many  a  gallant  charge, 
and  drum-sticks  that  had  beaten  the  long  roll,  and 
that  had  never  sounded  a  retreat. 

There  were  antiquated  implements  of  primitive 
warfare  that  had  been  used  in  the  struggles  for  the 
independence  of  Mexico;  old  spears  and  pikes,  and 
sugar  cane  knives  that  had  taken  the  place  of  swords, 

390 


THE    LIBERTY     BELL 

and  they  were  all  turned  over  to  the  nation  to  pre- 
serve as  valued  relics. 

Then  the  old  bell  was  raised  from  the  wagon 
and  placed  where  it  is  seen  today,  and  then  Father 
Hidalgo's  declaration  of  independence  was  read  and 
then  the  president  reached  out  and  grasped  the  rope 
and  the  old  bell  sounded  as  it  had  sounded  long  ago. 

It  spoke  the  same  language  that  is  spoken  by 
every  liberty  bell,  the  same  words  that  are  upon  our 
own  liberty  bell  in  old  Independence  hall  in  Phila- 
delphia, and  these  are:  "Proclaim  liberty  through- 
out the  world  and  to  all  the  inhabitants  thereof." 

Then  the  cannons  boomed  and  the  great  bell 
in  the  tower  of  the  old  cathedral  rang  and  then  all 
the  other  bells  in  this  great  city  of  bells  joined  in 
the  chorus  of  freedom,  and  then  a  beautiful  scene 
was  enacted. 

A  thousand  doves,  the  living  emblem  of  peace, 
which  had  been  gathered  from  all  parts  of  the  coun- 
try and  around  whose  necks  had  been  placed  beau- 
tiful ribbons  of  the  three  bright  national  colors,  were 
liberated  and  rose  in  the  air  and  circled  round  and 
round  and  then  flew  away  to  their  remote  homes, 
carrying  in  every  direction  and  to  every  part  of  the 
republic  a  glad  message. 

It  was  that  same  message  that  the  angels  sang 

391 


MEXICO    THE    WONDERFUL 

at  the  birth  of  Christ:  "Peace  on  Earth,  Good  Will 
to  Men."    And  all  the  people  joined  in  glad  acclaim. 

TROUBLE  AHEAD. 

Large  holdings  of  land,  while  doing  a  great  deal 
in  the  way  of  the  development  of  this  country,  is 
certain  in  the  future  to  become  a  serious  problem, 
and  if  not  halted  will  eventually  bring  the  lower 
classes  of  the  republic  to  a  condition  of  serfdom  that 
will  be  a  great  detriment  to  advancement  in  this 
rich  country. 

The  government  is  granting  all  kinds  of  con- 
cessions that  will,  if  continued,  make  the  native  peo- 
ple of  Mexico  merely  hewers  of  wood  and  drawers 
of  water,  while  the  good  things  of  life  will  go  to 
the  outsiders  or  to  the  aristocrats  at  home.  There 
is  not  much  use  in  developing  a  country  if  it  is  done 
at  the  expense  entirely  of  the  common  people  and 
the  profits  fall  into  the  hands  of  aliens  or  drones. 

For  three  hundred  years  the  descendants  of 
Cortez  have  controlled  large  grants  of  land  in  the 
locality  of  Oaxaca,  and  there  are  other  Spanish 
grants,  and  now  the  Americans,  the  English  and 
other  nationalities  are  taking  practically  all  there 
is  left. 

Take,  for  instance,  a  young  man  from  Iowa  who 

392 


TROUBLE    AHEAD 

owns  a  tract  of  land  one  hundred  and  twenty-five 
miles  southwest  of  Mexico  City.  It  is  called  the 
"Hacienda  of  Santa  Fe."  There  are  twenty-two 
thousand  acres  in  the  piece,  and  this  is  considered 
only  a  small  holding,  for  there  are  many  other  hold- 
ings much  larger  than  this. 

He  employs  three  hundred  men  and  boys  and 
has,  with  their  families,  a  population  of  twelve 
hundred  on  the  whole  place.  This  place  has  trebled 
in  value  in  three  years,  greatly  to  the  owner's  credit, 
and  also  to  his  profit,  while  the  laborers  who  have 
developed  it  have  been  paid  in  United  States  money 
value  twenty-five  cents  per  day  for  men  and  twelve 
and  a  half  cents  per  day  for  boys. 

This  would  appear  to  be  a  great  development 
of  Mexican  property,  but  not  a  great  development 
of  Mexican  men  and  women.  Assuming  the  work- 
ing force  are  half  men  and  half  boys  and  there  are 
three  hundred  workers  to  the  population  of  twelv* 
hundred,  it  would  give  each  member  of  the  family 
about  four  and  three-fourths  cents  a  day  to  live  on. 

General  Terazas,  governor  of  the  state  of  Chi- 
huahua, has  the  credit  of  being  the  largest  land 
owner  in  the  republic.  He  has  fifteen  million  acres. 

You  can  ride  six  hundred  miles  on  one  railroad 
every  foot  of  the  way  on  this  one  man's  land.  There 

393 


MEXICO    THE    WONDERFUL 

is  no  tax  on  unimproved  lands,  and  thousands  of 
cattle  can  be  raised  on  this  untaxed  property  for 
the  advantage  of  the  owner. 

This  makes  it  pretty  good  for  the  governor,  but 
pretty  hard  for  the  poor  people  who  have  thereby 
to  pay  greater  taxes  than  they  would  if  such  land 
owners  would  pay  their  share.  He  also  owns  two- 
thirds  of  all  the  homes  in  Chihuahua,  a  city  of  fifty 
thousand  population. 

I  met  a  man  at  Oaxaca  who  told  me  he  was 
looking  for  and  enlisting  men  to  go  down  into  the 
"hot  country"  to  work  on  a  plantation  or  hacienda 
about  two  hundred  miles  south  of  where  we  were 
at  that  time.  He  said  he  represented  a  New  York 
company  that  employed  one  thousand  men  on  their 
place;  that  he  enlisted  or  hired  the  men  for  six 
months,  at  the  rate  of  fifteen  dollars  per  month,  the 
equivalent  of  seven  dollars  and  a  half  American 
money,  advancing  them  two  months'  wages  when 
they  were  engaged;  he  then  shipped  them  in  com- 
panies of  one  hundred  to  the  place;  there  they 
worked  them  under  guard  in  the  day  time  and 
locked  them  up  at  night.  Some  of  them  from  time 
to  time  would  desert  and  foot  it  back  home,  and  as 
they  could  make  thirty  or  forty  miles  a  day  they 


394 


TROUBLE    AHEAD 

were  soon  back  to  where  they  started  from.  "What 
do  you  do  then?"  I  asked. 

"Why,  there  is  an  officer  called  the  "Jese 
Politico."  He  comes  in  somewhere  between  the 
mayor  and  the  governor.  He  apprehends  the 
deserter,  takes  him  aiid  sends  him  back.  They 
always  go  right  to  their  homes,  so  we  have  no 
trouble  in  getting  them  back  every  time." 

I  reflected:  "Be  it  ever  so  humble,  there's  no 
place  like  home."  It  is  where  all  turn  to,  civilized 
or  savage.  It  is  where  the  slave  owner  always  looks 
first  for  his  slave. 

A  man  named  Smith,  a  son  of  the  eminent  con- 
federate general  of  the  same  name,  is  said  to  be  the 
largest  dealer  in  peon  labor  in  Mexico. 

They  have  a  system  here  compelling  the  peons 
to  work  out  their  debts  and  the  services  of  people 
in  debt  are  sold  somewhat  in  the  manner  of  involun- 
tary servitude  and  the  debtors  seem  to  be  practically 
slaves  until  they  work  themselves  out  of  debt,  which 
may  be  a  remote  possibility,  but  not  always  a  cer- 
tainty. Smith  handles  five  thousand  to  six  thousand 
peons  at  all  times  and  furnishes  them  to  various  plan- 
tations on  contracts  just  as  any  other  dealer  might 
contract  to  furnish  horses  or  mules.  This  system,  if 
continued,  is  bound  to  bring  distress,  unrest  and  dis- 

395 


MEXICO    THE    WONDERFUL 

turbance,  and  unless  changed  and  these  abuses  eradi- 
cated, there  is  still  trouble  ahead  for  poor  old  Mexico. 
I  think  Diaz  is  making  many  mistakes  in  the  many 
concessions  he  is  granting. 

The  school  books  tell  us  that  slavery  was  intro- 
duced into  the  United  States  by  the  Dutch,  who 
brought  negro  slaves  to  Jamestown,  Virginia,  in  the 
year  1619,  but,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  slavery  began 
in  the  United  States  by  men  who  indentured  them- 
selves to  work  for  a  certain  time  for  some  one  who 
would  pay  their  fare  from  the  old  world  to  the 
new. 

Speculators  then  enlisted  companies,  brought 
them  over  and  sold  them  out.  They  were  followed 
by  others  who  kidnapped  men  and  brought  them  over 
and  sold  their  services.  Then  it  was  discovered  that 
it  was  easier  to  kidnap  black  men  than  white  men, 
so  the  regular  African  slave  trade  was  inaugurated 
which  led  to  such  disastrous  results. 

Mexico  is  breeding  trouble  in  a  similar  way  at 
this  time. 

A    LAST   WORD. 

We  had  now  been  in  Mexico  more  than  two 
weeks,  and  when  we  summed  up  all  we  had  seen 
and  all  we  had  learned,  we  were  surprised  by  the 

396 


A    LAST    WORD 

volume  it  would  fill.  We  felt  pleased  with  our  visit 
and  well  repaid  for  our  time,  and  were  ready  to 
start  for  home  and  leave  much  that  we  did  not  see, 
and  that  would  fill  a  much  larger  volume. 

We  retired  to  rest  in  a  train  of  the  great 
National  Railway  of  Mexico  on  Saturday  night,  and 
on  Sunday  morning  we  were  many  miles  from  Mexico 
City  and  away  from  the  higher  mountains  and  shoot. 
ing  along  over  miles  of  track  so  straight  that  an 
arrow  shot  from  a  bow  would  waver  more  in  its 
course  than  the  train  on  which  we  were  riding. 
Every  revolution  of  the  wheels  brought  us  nearer 
home,  and  the  wheels  made  each  whirl  faster  than 
we  could  count,  and  we  rejoiced  to  know  that  we 
would  soon  be  back  in  the  dear  old  capital  of  Illi- 
nois, among  our  friends  and  kinfolks,  where  every- 
body knows  us  and  where  we  know  everybody. 

In  all  our  travels  we  found  no  temple  more 
beautiful  than  our  own  great  capitol;  no  fortress 
more  graceful  than  our  own  great  armory,  and  no 
shrine  where  we  could  worship  with  greater  devo- 
tion than  the  tomb  of  our  immortal  Lincoln,  and  no 
friends  more  loved  or  loving  than  our  old  friends 
at  home. 

And  then  we  came  to  the  Rio  Grande  river.  On 
the  one  side  was  the  republic  of  Mexico,  on  the 

397 


MEXICO    THE    WONDERFUL 

other  the  union  of  America's  great  states,  and  from 
the  custom  house  floated  the  flag  of  all  flags,  the  one 
we  all  love  so  well,  and  I  never  saw  a  flag  that 
looked  more  beautiful. 

It  is  a  glorious  and  thrilling  feeling,  after  you 
have  traveled  in  a  foreign  country,  to  get  back  once 
more  to  the  land  of  your  birth  and  realize  fully  that 
you  are  right  under  the  very  center  of  the  canopy 
of  heaven,  where  God  reigns,  where  every  man  is  a 
brother,  and 

"Where  the  stars  and  stripes  above  you 
Seem  to  whisper,  Tioys,  I  love  you,' 
And  the  Eagle  welcomes  all  beneath  its  wings." 

And  this  is  the  end  of  this  series  of  letters. 


398 


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